An urban strategy in time of crisis: Mobility management and low-cost public space design
Abstract
This research underlines the importance of mobility management tools and small-scale targeted interventions of public space upgrades in order to encourage conscious sustainable mobility behaviour. The paper reviews tools and tactics of soft transport policy measures, as well as of small-scale and low-cost public space design approaches and strategies in the USA and Europe to assess their characteristics and results. It will then focus on Thessaloniki (Greece) presenting 1) the main findings of a trip survey concerning the impact of the economic crisis on mobility behaviour and 2) the shift to low-cost street scale urban design projects which have emerged during the crisis. The paper states that quality public space and urban transport constitute conditions necessary to attain long-term change in mobility behaviour. While the importance of hard transport policy measures should not be underestimated, the strategy for achieving sustainable urban mobility and public space design adapted to the economic crisis-specific conditions is discussed.
References
Athanassiou E., Vitopoulou A., Karadimou-Yerolympou A., Papagiannakis A., Christodoulou Ch. (2012) From iconic to pragmatic: praxis of urban design for everyday life, in Proceedings of the 2nd National Conference on Planning and Regional Development. Volos: Faculty of Engineering, University of Thessaly, pp. 651-656 (in CD-rom) (in Greek).
Bamberg, S., Fujii, S., Friman, M., Gärling, T. (2011) Behaviour theory and soft transport policy measures. Transport Policy 18(1), pp. 228-223.
Beirão, G., Sarsfield Cabral, J. A. (2007). Understanding attitudes towards public transport and private car: A qualitative study. Transport Policy, 14, pp. 478–489.
Bishop, P., Williams, L. (2012) The temporary city. London: Routledge. Casagrande, M. Urban Acupuncture, http://helsinkiacupuncture.blogspot.gr/2008/12/blog-post.html, accessed 15th Feb 2015.
Cairns, S., Sloman, L., Newson, C., Anable, J., Kirkbride, A., Goodwin, P. (2008) Smarter choices: assessing the potential to achieve traffic reduction using soft measures. Transport Reviews, 28, pp. 593-618.
Chapel, E. (2012) Urbanités inattendues. Petites fabriques de l’espace public, INTER, ART ACTUEL, No. 111, pp. 56-60.
Christodoulou, Ch. (2013) Urban design practices and local governance policies in crisis conditions - The case of Thessaloniki, paper presented in the conference Changes and reconceptualization of space in Greece in the time of crisis. Volos, 1-3 November 2013, http://www.citybranding.gr/-2014/12/blog-post_48.html, accessed 10th Apr 2015 (in Greek).
Clarke, K. (2012) Why is it so hard to be soft? How perceptions of effectiveness and acceptance of measures can be improved to encourage smarter travel. Research report, Transport Planning Society, http://www.tps.org.uk/files/bursaries/katie_clarke_papers.pdf, accessed 15th Mar 2015.
De Sola Morales, M. (2008) A Matter of Things. Rotterdam: NAi Publishers.
Đukić, A., Vukmirović, M. (2012) Redesigning the network of pedestrian spaces in the function of reduction of CO emission. SPATIUM, 27, pp. 31-39.
Fernández, M. (2012). Urbanismo adaptivo. La ciudad temporal en un mientastanto permanente, https://es.scribd.com/doc/103325845/Urbanismo-adaptativo-La-ciudad-temporal-en-unmientras-tanto-permanente, accessed 15th Apr 2015.
Friman, M., Pedersen, T., Gärlng T. (2102) Feasibility of Voluntary Reduction of Private Car Use, Research Report, Karlstad University Studies, http://www.kau.se/sites/default/files/-Dokument/subpage/2011/08/friman_et_al_2012_feasibility_pdf_81567.pdf, accessed 15th Jan 2015.
Fujii, S., Taniguchi, A. (2006) Determinants of the effectiveness of travel feedback programs - a review of communicative mobility management measures for changing travel behaviour in Japan. Transport Policy, 13, pp. 339-348.
Gärling, T., Bamberg, S., Friman, M., Fujii, S., Richter, J. (2009) Implementation of Soft Transport Policy Measures to Reduce Private Car Urban Areas. In: First European Conference on Energy Efficiency and Behaviour, Maastricht October 2009, http://www.eceee.org/library/-conference_proceedings/EE_and_Behaviour/-2009/Panel_5/5.501, accessed 10th Mar 2015.
Loukaitou-Sideris, A., Brozen, M., Callahan, C., Brookover, I., LaMontagne, N., Snehansh, V. (2012) Reclaiming the right of way. A toolkit for creating and implementing parklets, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, http://innovation.luskin.ucla.edu/sites/default/files/parklet-toolkit.pdf, accessed 15th Feb 2015.
Loukopoulos, P. (2007) A classification of travel demand management measures. In: Garling, T., Steg, L. (Eds.), Threats from Car Traffic to the Quality of Urban Life: Problems, Causes, and Solutions. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 275–292.
Lydon, M.(ed.) (2012) Tactical Urbanism: Short-term Action, Long-term Change, vol. 2, The Street Plans Collaborative, http://issuu.com/streetplanscollaborative/docs/tactical_ urbanism-vol_2_final, accessed 15th Feb 2015.
Lydon, M., Garcia, A. (2015) Tactical Urbanism: Short Term Action for Long Term Change. Washington: Island Press.
MAX-Successful Travel Awareness Campaigns and Mobility Management Strategies (2009) EU-Project final report- Deliverable D 0.6., FGM-AMOR, Austria, http://www.max-success.eu/downloads/, accessed 2nd Feb 2015.
MIDAS-Training resource Pack (2008) EU-Project Deliverable 11, IEEA, http://www.eltis.org/-sites/eltis/files/D11_MIDAS_Resource_Pack_FINAL_6.pdf, accessed 10th Feb 2015.
Möser, G., & Bamberg, S. (2008) The effectiveness of soft transport policy measures: A critical assessment and meta- analysis of empirical evidence, Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28, pp. 10-26.
NACTO - Urban Street Design Guide, http://nacto.org/usdg/, accessed 15th Feb 2015.
Rasmussen, C. (2012) Participative design & planning in contemporary urban projects. Diploma Thesis, Aalborg University.
Richter, J., Friman, M., Gärling, T. (2009) Soft transport policy measures 2 Research needs, Research report, Karlstad University Studies, http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/-diva2:219056/FULLTEXT02, accessed 5th Feb 2015.
Richter, J., Friman, M., Gärling, T. (2010) Review of Evaluations of Soft Transport Policy Measures, Transportation: Theory and Application, Vol.2, No.1 (2010), pp. 518.
Papagiannakis, A. (2014) The impact of the economic crisis on urban mobility behaviour in the historic center of Thessaloniki, Research report no 89565, Thessaloniki: Research Committee & Spatial Planning and Development Department AUTh (in Greek).
Parsons, A. (2007) small scale, BIG CHANGE: Urban Acupuncture as a strategy for sustainable regeneration. Diploma Thesis, University of Portsmouth.
Taylor, M. A. P., Ampt, E. S. (2003) Travelling smarter down under: policies for voluntary travel behaviour change in Australia. Transport Policy, 10, pp. 165-177.
Taylor, M. (2007) Voluntary travel behaviour change programs in Australia: The carrot rather than the stick in travel demand management. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 1 (3), pp. 173-192.
Thoidou, E. (2013) Strategic spatial planning in the era of crisis: Current trends and evidence from the metropolitan area of Thessaloniki. SPATIUM, 30, pp. 12-17.
Unt, A.-L., Bell, S. (2014) The impact of small-scale design interventions on the behaviour patterns of the users of an urban wasteland, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, No. 13 (1), pp. 121-135.
Vitopoulou, A. (2015) Urban design and public space in Thessaloniki since the 1980s: forms, functions and production processes. Post-doctoral research, Aristotle University of Thessal
