A Review of the Evolution of Shared (Street) Space Concepts in Urban Environments

Abstract

This paper aims to clearly establish the origin and evolution of the shared space concept from a New Zealand perspective by reviewing the literature in the disciplines of both urban design and transportation engineering. The review process involves investigating the use and function of a public road space in the context of the changing of public expectations and how this can relate to a number of interconnected street design approaches (e.g. traffic calming and self-explaining roads (SERs)). These approaches have been used to minimise the influence of motor vehicles since the beginning of the automobile era. The shared space concept, when applied in public road environments in activity centres, has increasingly been embraced by urban planners, transportation engineers and regulatory agencies. A shared space diverges from a conventional road where all road users are encouraged to legitimately occupy the same road space with little physical separation. To achieve this in a safe and efficient manner, the design aims to reduce the dominance of the motor vehicle by promoting pedestrian and cycling activity and utilising the road space as a ‘place’ in addition to its ‘transport’ mobility and access purposes. Given the fundamental conceptual differentiation between a traffic-calmed street and a shared space, the paper argues that there are certain design elements, constituting a shared space, and without them, it would be difficult for a public street to function as a genuine shared space for all road users.     

城市环境中共享（街道）空间概念演变综述

通过综述城市设计与交通工程学科文献,从新西兰视角明确共享空间概念的起源和演变。综述过程包括研究公众期望变化背景下的公共道路空间的功能与使用以及如何与一些相互关联的街道设计方法(如交通稳静化和自适应道路)联系起来。这些方法从机动车时代初期就被用于最小化机动车影响。应用于城市活动中心的公共道路环境中的共享空间概念,正逐渐被城市规划师、交通工程师和管理部门所接受。共享空间不同于传统道路,它鼓励通过少量物理隔离使全体道路使用者合理地使用同一道路空间。为了以安全有效的方式实现共享空间,在设计上需要通过促进步行与骑行活动来降低机动车主导性,同时应将道路空间作为场所来利用而非仅仅出于其机动性与可达性目的。基于交通稳静化街道与共享空间在基础概念上的差异,认为共享空间由一些设计要素组成,若缺少这些要素,公共街道将难以对全体道路使用者发挥其真正的共享空间功能。