Anna Gurnhill’s Post

Have you seen CREATE STREETS' interesting read, ‘Move Free’? If offers a great insight into #movement, asking the important question of what types of movement patterns are associated with more prosperity, successful high streets, happiness, freedom of choice and with building more #homes. In the development industry we are seeing wider #streets with less tree planting and bigger junctions, born of technical highways standards, often relating to the needs of waste collection vehicles. With car parking standards added into the mix, our streets are squeezed further still, impeding placemaking and creating ever more constrained and car-dominant spaces. Attempts to reduce car dominance can often be met with public concern, strong opinions on function or viability concerns from clients. A recent example of this is at one of our #gardenvillage schemes, where an unusual local authority restriction in on-plot parking at the planning stage is now threatening the viability of house sales. When the only way to get about is by car, then it is not unreasonable that people buying new homes demand multiple parking spaces. However, the result is that places cannot easily be created at densities above 30 dph, which then not only makes it difficult to deliver viable low-carbon alternatives to the private car, but also to provide the critical mass to support the services and amenities that #communities quite rightly desire, not to mention making addressing the housing crisis even more of a challenge than it is already. How can we balance this tension? Perhaps, as Create Streets suggest, we should focus on creating more opportunities for people to take the #sustainable option and move the debate from cars to choice, alongside gently pushing up #density. As the report highlights, historic Victorian and early twentieth century streets are typically at densities closer to 50-75 dph, and are highly sought after and valuable, opposed to the image of high rise towers that the mention of higher densities often conjures up. Similarly, we need a joined up conversation between highway departments and those creating design policies to determine the absolute fixes and where there can be some flex, resulting in a more flexible framework for the benefit of #placemaking. Check out the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eXX6DFSY We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. #UrbanDesign #SustainableMovement #PedestrianFriendly #MoveFree #CreateStreets 

>>> The Johns Hopkins team notes that reducing lane width in urban arterials provides more space for bicycle lanes, on-street parking, wider sidewalks, and landscaped buffers while reducing pedestrian crossing distances. Other benefits include minimizing construction and maintenance costs, and reducing land consumption, asphalt pavement, impervious surfaces, and the consequent effects of urban heat islands in cities. Narrow lanes promote walkability and the use of streets by all travel modes. “Narrowing travel lanes … is the easiest and most cost-effective way to accommodate better sidewalk and bike lane facilities within the existing roadway infrastructure,” the authors note. The team also found that narrowing travel lanes “could have huge impacts on property values, business operation alongside the streets, and even could be the difference between the feasibility and successful delivery of a design project.” (Credits: PUBLIC SQUARE, A CNU Journal) #streetmobility #urbanmobility #sustainableurbanmobility #safety #sustainability #urbanplanning #landscapearchitecture #walkability

The world is changing in different ways. #ClimateChange and obesity are the biggest headache. The problem is generally related with lifestyle and we are the origin. So what should be done? Lifetime is limited and we don't want to waste all in GYM. Also world is exhausted and how about carbon emissions? What happend to cities? We left all to cars and limited walkable city centers... There is a well known truth. Human kind changes when quarter to disaster. So let's take a look again Jeff Speck "Walkable Cities" before the unwanted end. His new article is in the link. "Why your city needs a #downtown #walkability plan". Here are 10 tactics to plan for better walkability with immediate implementation, improving safety and reviving a city center in the process. #UrbanDesign

>>> The Johns Hopkins team notes that reducing lane width in urban arterials provides more space for bicycle lanes, on-street parking, wider sidewalks, and landscaped buffers while reducing pedestrian crossing distances. Other benefits include minimizing construction and maintenance costs, and reducing land consumption, asphalt pavement, impervious surfaces, and the consequent effects of urban heat islands in cities. Narrow lanes promote walkability and the use of streets by all travel modes. “Narrowing travel lanes … is the easiest and most cost-effective way to accommodate better sidewalk and bike lane facilities within the existing roadway infrastructure,” the authors note. The team also found that narrowing travel lanes “could have huge impacts on property values, business operation alongside the streets, and even could be the difference between the feasibility and successful delivery of a design project.” (Credits: PUBLIC SQUARE, A CNU Journal) #streetmobility #urbanmobility #sustainableurbanmobility #safety #sustainability #urbanplanning #landscapearchitecture #walkability

Could your downtown benefit from a walkability plan? Making walking a useful, safe, comfortable, and interesting experience for people has incredible benefits for the health of a community and the people who live there. #walkability #walkablecities https://loom.ly/cq9kF1M

Landscape Community Nature: Livable Streets: https://lnkd.in/eNnMEMXK There is presently consultation underway in respect of the Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) schemes in Heavitree and Whipton, Exeter, Devon. The link above is a short account of Donald Appleyard's research which despite being repressed by the promotion of the 20th Century car industry in America, has come to greater attention since people have had the opportunity in lock down to experience quiet streets with little or reduced vehicle movement. It's striking how much of a difference to communities, not having cars has! Its not just about easier cycling and walking, its about people being comfortable in the space around them and feeling they 'own their own neighbourhood.'  Change is obviously difficult for many of us motorists, who need to find the will to walk, and cycle etc. to make better neighbourhoods and cities. Buses and emergency vehicles are allowed through Low Traffic Neighbourhood barriers. It would be useful to also allow taxis and other forms of transport which reduce car ownership the same access as long as they drive really slowly (e.g. 10mph) in the LTN. This would contribute to a reduction in car ownership, and need for parking space leaving more space in streets and neighbourhoods to reduce hard tarmac coverage and re-introduce: green space nature and planting, .......the natural landscape we all come from ! Hope you enjoy and share the article. other useful links: https://lnkd.in/eFmHAyvh https://lnkd.in/eNPagAZ5 https://lnkd.in/eprEr7J3

I've been reading quite a bit about mindful urban design lately, and one of the things that has stood out to me is the cascading benefit of restricting vehicles. This article, originally published by CityLab and republished on Pocket, points out the implications vehicles have on noise pollution. This really resonates with me as I recently moved from somewhere with an obscene amount of traffic noise to one that is significantly quieter. I can feel the physical impact of the change in my body -- I sleep better, I'm way less stressed and on edge, and I can concentrate better when I work. Here are a few noteworthy tidbits from this article: > A no-brainer, but a thought-provoker: "Cities aren’t loud, cars are loud." > "As far back as 1981, the Environmental Protection Agency estimated that nearly 100 million Americans were regularly exposed to traffic noise of at least 55 decibels, enough to cause health problems." > "In Denmark, a multiyear study of 2 million people aged 60 and over found that fully 11% of dementia diagnoses could be attributed to roadway noise." The way we design cities also has an impact on the quality of experience travelers have. It's important to keep in mind that things like noise can definitely have a detrimental effect on people -- both local residents and those who are visiting.

US Cities Are Falling Out of Love With the Parking Lot California and many local governments are scrapping requirements that once made cars the center of the urban landscape. "There are between three and six car parking spaces per car in the US, numbering up to 2 billion in total, according to some estimates. In much of the US, more space is devoted to parking than housing—in Jackson, Wyoming, for example, parking spaces outnumber homes 27 to 1, research has found." https://lnkd.in/gMAiRryC The Automated Parking Company designs and builds innovative urban parking systems that maximizes parking capacity & costs less to build, operate and maintain VS regular cement parking garages. Real Estate Developers, Architects and Commercial Property Owners can meet their parking requirements and enhance their users parking experience with modern automated Parking Systems, Puzzle Parking Systems and Our Car Stackers. Get A Free Consultation with our Automated Parking Systems Design Engineers about how we can customize a modern parking solution for your multi family or commercial real estate project. The Automated Parking Company is on Inc. https://lnkd.in/ggSd-X9p (661) 430-3244 or visit us at https://lnkd.in/g8EMe2ji #parkingautomation #parkingautomatedsolutions #desigmcustomparking #carparkingstackers #constuctiondevelopers #parkingengineersolutions #parkingdesigns #innovativeparkingsolutions #fastroboticparking #newparkingtechnology #newparking_style Robotic Parking, Robotic Parking Garage, Puzzle Parking, Automated Parking, Automated Parking System, Automated Car Parking, Automated Parking Garage, Parking Stackers, Garage Car Stacker, Stack Parking System, Double Stacker, Triple Stacker, TAPCO, Puzzl Car Parking System, Car Parking Lift System, Lift Parking System, Car Stacker, Car Stack Lift AGV, #AGV, #tapco, #automatedparking, #puzzleparking, #stackers

I am ecstatic to read about Columbus Downtown Development Corporation/Capitol South's new 'Capital Line' development. Where do I even begin? 😁 . . . This is *precisely* the sort of human-centric infrastructure that Downtown sorely lacks. Despite what many may think, it is a matter of providing safer alternatives to driving, not eliminating it entirely. 🚲 🚶♂️ . . . As a #SouthSide resident, I think the 'wheel-in-spoke' idea for future growth of this development will also be a key to Columbus' long-term growth. Reconnecting Downtown with its surrounding communities will go a long way to help mend the harmful effects of 'redlining' neighborhoods from the 1950's. ⚖ . . . By far the most exciting implication is the European-style 'Christmas Market' concept shown in one of the renderings. 🎄 . . . Now, if only we could get some weight behind developing a local, light rail system we'd have it made! Maybe someday we will see a return to traditional modes of transportation, before cars took over. A man can dream, can't he? 🚉 #DowntownColumbus #development #pedestrian #CityPlanning #transit #InvestInTheFuture #bike #NewUrbanism #15MinuteCity #Columbus #Ohio https://lnkd.in/g6ackkGF

Modular adaptive reuse of parking structures. Suburban sprawl and car dependence shaped North American development, however, recent trends such as expanded mass transit, environmental awareness, ride-share apps, and remote work are gradually reducing car reliance. Municipalities are responding by eliminating parking minimums in transit-oriented areas. These shifts reveal opportunities for more efficient development, as demonstrated by KTGY’s innovative Park House concept. By repurposing parking structures into residential units, Park House minimizes waste, reduces embodied carbon, and adapts to evolving transportation trends, exemplifying a flexible, sustainable future in urban planning. #multifamily,#housing,#affordablehousing,#apartments,#officebuildings,#contractors,#designers,#architects,#buildingleaders,#adaptivereuse,#ownersrepresentative,#seniorshousing,#realestatedevelopment,#realestatecanada,#realestatedeveloper,#buildingdesign,#buildingdesigner,