Traffic Space is Public Space

Public space is an essence of urban life, of a city's living quality. The (re-) transformation of space today used by the dense traffic prevalent in urban areas into truly public space is a highly effective way to increase its quality and quantity in cities of all sizes and larger metropolitan areas. The starting point of any such increase is to ensure a better balance between the various uses of space: more room for pause and the slow traffic of pedestrians and cyclists, less for handling of goods and the faster, passive mobility by car. Traditional planning principles in urban and traffic design will no longer do; new approaches and instruments are required. This new book introduces to the reader these approaches and instruments, affecting the actual design as well as the planning process, as creative strategies rather than as a rigid set of rules. It is about networking, co-production, involving local businesses, co-usage of space, circular metabolism, and an appropriate aesthetic. Using inspiring reference projects as well as their own work, architects and urban designers Stefan Bendiks und Aglaée Degros offer a forward-looking insight into how traffic space can become much needed public space. Text in English and German.