Top tips
Peter Heath-
Principal Urban Designer
www.atkinsglobal.com
3 pre-conditions for sucessful
public realm improvement
Peter explains that these pre-condidtions are
most valuable when applied to an ordinary street.
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Mike Morris - Director,
Urban Initiatives
www.urbaninitiatives.co.uk
Mike explains how an original design concept
and
quality can be maintained throughout the
projext to achieve successful
public realm.
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Robert Huxford - Director of the Urban Design
Group
www.udg.org.uk
Robert's
guidance for making balanced judgments while navigating complex
law
and guidance
documents when designing the public realm.
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John Adams - International expert in
risk
SHARED SPACE & RISK COMPENSATION
“Risk compensation” is the name given to the
idea that people monitor their environments and respond to (compensate
for) perceived changes in safety or danger. Traditional highway engineers
reject the idea. Motorists are seen as selfish, stupid, obedient
automatons who require protection in the form of airbags and crumple
zones, and guidance in the form signs, signals and road environments
forgiving of careless driving. Pedestrians and cyclists are seen
as vulnerable stupid, obedient automatons in need of protection from
motorists in the form of signals, barriers and under or overpasses.
Shared space schemes assume road users are intelligent, vigilant,
responsive and cooperative. Experience thus far supports the latter
view of human nature – permitting the development of a safer,
more attractive and more convivial public realm.
Pedestrians and vehicles intermingle in Seven
Dials,
London
