TOWARDS AN APPROACH TO HUMANIZE THE STREET ENVIRONMENT: RECONCILING PEDESTRIAN-VEHICLE RELATIONSHIP

Abstract

This study focuses attention on new approaches that had emerged seeking to create an equitable balance of street space, and it is not possible without a need to compromise between the street movement function as well its place function, the type of compromise varies widely throughout different cities; approaches as 20 mph zones, 30 km/h zones, traffic signal priority, complete streets and transit friendly streets focus on street techniques, whereas ‘woonerf’, ‘home zones’, and ‘shared space’ focus on street environment. The study stands in the belief that it is matter of how the street physical environment affects the way people use it than what it looks like and in doing so, it reviews previous experiences that made targeted efforts to get the most out of their streets, both as transportation links for all modes of commuters and as vital places for people to enjoy, in addition to it addresses how to make streets work with all its components, how to get use of the right of way trying to achieve different users’ needs with having limited constraints; ensuring that everyone can get from A to B easily besides enjoying using the street and concludes with identifying how the change in the street physical environment affect the way people use and perceive the street and ends up with specifying design guidelines that translate the relation between the physical attributes of particular public realm street design and the range of behaviors that this street environment affords users’ behavior and its integration as an incentive for the promotion and integration of non-motorized modes; specifying a street design approach that reconcile people, place and traffic, and contribute in creating safe, attractive and enjoyable streets

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