Public realm
What exactly is the public realm?
Realm refers to the, mostly outdoor, places that the public freely use and enjoy. An obvious part is our network of public streets, roads and paths.
This website has looked at the public realm as a whole, particularly in the study Streetscapes and others, now freely available from our archives.
However, these updated pages concentrate on how pedestrians could enjoy our streets more safely and comfortably.
New safe and comfortable crossings
Rethinking
pedestrian priority
Current issues
First, we look at the recent experiments by Westminster City Council in the design of side road crossings and then take the discussion forward to include the wider issues of courtesy crossings and give way (pedestrian priority) zones.
Each issue is analysed from interdisciplinary viewpoints: Safety and comfort, Legal framework, Urban design & transportation planning, Traffic & highway engineering, the Adoption of highways and finally Action: the practicalities of construction and costs.
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