Yesterday I had a bit of an explore of some of the Barcelona superblocks and pedestrian areas.
One of the things I really liked was just how well provided with seating they are. In many places I've visited the only seating is either in commercial places, or it was just rare. Here it was numerous, and varied.
Something else that comes up a lot when we talk about this sort of infra is "what about deliveries?"
No problem. The street is open for delivery traffic. At 10kph. 1/n
All of the motorised traffic on more than 2 wheels was delivery vehicles. Vans, a few small lorries, and the inevitable American pickup truck. All could move about in the superblocks, albeit slowly. What's more when they came up behind you the pedestrian, there's no beeping, no reving of engines, no aggressive attempts to get past. Just an acceptance you're all sharing human scale architecture.
There's also lots of bike parking. In the form of Sheffield stands. 2/n
Something else I really liked about the area I walked through was the frequent availability of drinking water taps. A little phallic in design. A contrast from the minimalist designs I'm used to in the Netherlands. They were every few blocks. It was interesting seeing how people used them. Some filled bottles, others just washed their hands and arms, allowing the drying water to cool them in the heat.
I tried this, as well as running my feet under the tap. I works really well. 3/n
But the thing you notice most of all, is the quiet. The baseline thrum of traffic is much quieter. There's no beeping, no revving of engines. You can sit on a bench in the shade of a tree and just enjoy being there. Fill your water bottle at the tap, and exist in public without having a paywall. No "if you want to sit here, buy a drink". No "in order to get here, own a 2ton vehicle". It's human scale. And it's accessible. 4/n
At one point I saw a guy laying on a bench in the shade. His arm over his eyes to keep out the light. In the middle of the day. That's when it also struck me. There's no hostile architecture (at least that I noticed) here. It's not like some parks in the UK where the benches have dividers installed to stop people sleeping on them.
Public space. Without a paywall. And away from the traffic.
I honestly don't understand how anyone can be opposed to developments like these.
5/5
@quixoticgeek I basically promote electric vehicles for a living, but for many-maybe-most, the best car is no car.
I managed 11 years in Montreal without owning a car just fine, but living in Tallahassee, Florida it would be a lot more difficult and dangerous. Cities in the US need to be re-engineered for people instead of cars.
Seems legit and not some marketing gimmick for developer to sell more houses. It's so hard for government to enforce some sort of standard that flips the current lifestyle upside down, makes me wonder if these type of projects can make a difference instead.
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