Streets as social places

Abstract

The design of a child-friendly living street should successfully balance the interaction between the traffic and children. Essential dimensions of a living street are safety, play, and learning. Safety is created by a clear and readable overview of what is where and by the consequent expectations created in the users. In this line of thought, a car is a visitor to the street area. The design of the area and its elements should make the driver immediately perceive that he/she is entering in a specific type of street, that requires him/her a change of behavior. As the car increasingly enters the street’s specific domain, providing safety to the children and other pedestrians, the street is required to force the cars to slowly drive and to give drivers a large field of view (e.g., corners should be avoided). If necessary, barriers towards the road should be provided, either by small hills or other elements (e.g., vegetation). Living streets are also wonderful places for children to play and learn about themselves, others, and the world. At the outside environment, they can engage in many physical activities with their peers and can also perform some activities alone. Therefore, it is desirable to have spaces that afford independent and group play, as well as spaces that afford movement and mobility.