The pedestrian and the city / Carmen Hass-Klau.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hass-Klau, Carmen, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pedestrians.

Pedestrian traffic flow--Planning.

Pedestrian traffic flow.

Pedestrian areas--Planning.

Pedestrian areas.

Streets--Planning.

Streets.

City traffic--Planning.

City traffic.

Planning.

Physical Description:

xxiii, 316 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Routledge, 2015.

Summary:

The Pedestrian and the City provides an overview and insight into the development, politics and policies on, walking and pedestrians: it includes the evolution of pedestrian-friendly housing estates and the attempts to create independent pedestrian footpaths from the nineteenth century up to the present day. Key issues addressed are the fight against urban motorways, the destruction of walkable neighborhoods through road building, the struggle of pedestrianization, and the popularity of traffic calming as a powerful policy for reducing pedestrian accidents. Hass-Klau also embraces past and present practical research in walking, where US contributions continue to be important. The book provides detailed insights from 26 cities, of which 16 are from North America, and the rest from Germany. Norway, Denmark and Britain, as well as references to other European countries and cities. Each city includes general transport information and more specific walking issues, such as pedestriarization and other forms of car-restraining policies. Each of the cities was visited and discussions with local officials took place, and information was critically assessed through numerous site visits and photographs. As the pedestrian environment becomes ever more crucial for the future of our cities, the book will be invaluable to students and practicing planners, geographers, transport engineers and local government officers. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I History 1

1 From Innovative Street Layouts to the Fight against Urban Motorways in the United States 3

Innovative Street Layouts 4

Housing for a Better World 7

The Greenbelt Towns 12

Garden Apartments 13

The Congested Cities and the Motorway Revolt 15

2 Motorization and Footpath Planning During the Third Reich 20

Adolf Hitler and the Promotion of Motorization 20

Ideal Communities 21

Pedestrian Planning in Hitler's New Town: Wolfsburg 25

A New Approach for City Centers 27

3 The Role of the Pedestrian after the Second World War in West Germany: The Early Years 30

Political Background 30

The Charter of Athens 30

The Missed Chance of Reconstruction 35

Massive Road Building in Urban Areas 37

Car Restrictions in City Centers 42

4 Pedestrianization, Public Transport and Traffic Calming in West Germany 46

Political Background 46

The Role of Public Transport and its Impact on Pedestrianization 46

Pedestrianization: Research and Practice 47

Traffic Calming: Ideas and Practice 51

Conflicts about Bokph (2omph) Speed Limits and Other Disagreements 55

5 The 'Better Germany'? Urban Planning, Transport and Pedestrian-Friendly Devices in East Germany 59

Political Background 59

'National in Style but Democratic in Content': The First Housing Projects and Their Pedestrian Streets 61

New Towns: Eisenhuttenstadt, Halle-Neustadt and Schwedt 65

The Housing Problem 69

Reconstruction of Destroyed and Neglected City Centers and Urban Areas 71

Pedestrianization in East German Cities 73

The Change From East to West 77

6 The British Approach Toward Road Transport and the Pedestrian in Urban Areas from the 1940s to the Early 1970s 80

Ideas about Urban Roads and the First Attempts at Traffic Calming 80

Traffic in New Towns and Pedestrianization 85

The Professional Background of Colin Buchanan 87

'Traffic in Towns' and its Impact 88

A Period of Experimentation 92

7 British Attempts to Achieve Better Walking Conditions in the Late 1970s to the 1990s 95

The Beginning of Traffic Calming 95

Initiatives of Local Authorities and Other Professionals 96

Government Action and Criticism 98

Change of Government in 1997 and the Role of the Pedestrians 100

Part II Practice 105

8 Walking in Great Britain and the Greater London Case Study 107

Background: The National Trend in Walking 107

Pedestrianization: The Last 40 Years 107

Pedestrianization: A Comparison between Germany and the UK (and Other Countries) 108

Public Transportation 112

Other Policies to Promote Walking 113

Greater London 118

9 Walking in Germany: Is there Progress? 129

New and Not so New initiatives 129

Case Studies 131

Freiburg 131

Munich 137

Cologne 143

10 The Nordic Approach: Denmark 149

Background 149

Transportation 149

Research on Walking: The Work of Jan Gehl and his Team 351

Copenhagen 153

Odense 161

11 Further North: Norway 166

Background 166

Transportation 166

Bergen 169

Trondheim 175

Oslo 178

Stavanger 182

12 The United States and Canada: An Overview of Walking Research and Policies 185

Research in the Use of Urban Space and Pedestrian Behavior 185

Policy-related Research on Walking 187

Pedestrianization 191

Public Transportation 196

Traffic Calming 197

13 Walking in the United States: A European View: The Leaders New York City 200

Boston 209

Washington DC 212

Portland, Oregon 215

San Francisco 219

Denver 224

Boulder, Colorado 227

Canadian City: Vancouver 229

14 Walking in the United States: A European View: The Followers 235

Charlotte 235

Charleston 242

Savannah 246

Miami 250

Miami Beach 253

Atlanta 257

Seattle 260

Los Angeles 263

15 The Future of Walking 269

Part I History 269

Synthesis: Pedestrian-friendly Street Designs and the Battle About Livable Streets in the United States, Germany and Britain 269

Part II Practice 275

Walking: The General Trend 275

Important Factors to Promote Walking 276

Walking Problems 281

Reality: What can be Achieved? 285

Learning from the Case Study Cities 289

Finally 291.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780415814393

0415814391

9780415814409

0415814405

OCLC:

899327649