This document summarizes key points from Riccardo Marini's Active by Design Summit presentation in London. It discusses how prioritizing pedestrian and cyclist access over vehicles can make cities healthier and more vibrant. Specific strategies highlighted include reducing car infrastructure to make room for walking, cycling, and public spaces; implementing pilot projects like Summer Streets in New York to test pedestrianizing streets; and learning from Copenhagen's success in increasing non-motorized traffic through good urban design. The overall message is that cities should focus on placemaking and creating environments that make active transportation and human interaction easy in order to improve public health, economic activity, and quality of life.

1. Riccardo Marini
Active by Design Summit
London September 2014

2. perceived dangers

15. Car - Pedestrian conflict
DANGEROUS!
what these Italians need is proper
traffic
management

16. 3
INDIFFERENCE
!

18. What makes people healthy?

19. Positive human contact
sharing quality time with each other

20. Hug someone

21. Spending time outdoors
fresh air

23. regular exercise
& healthy eating

25. The opposite of love in not hate, it’s indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference.
The opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.
!
Eli Wiesel

27. INDIFFERENT PLACES

30. 16
Kensington & Chelsea - high density with low rise and parks

31. ”THE BRASILIA SYNDROME”! - Bird Shit Architecture
(City Planning from 10.000 metres above the ground )

32. Brasilia (1955- )

33. Brasilia -The people scale is completely neglected

34. 20

35. The excruciating pain of our urban reality

36. Wellness is a state
not only the absence of disease

43. We specialise in Place Making

44. We enable city transformation

45. 40 years of research as the foundation

46. OUR CLIENTS: state agencies, public sector, private sector and organisations

47. Evidence based design

48. Urban Quality Criteria

49. Our Methodology

51. Man is a Walking Animal – Ground Speed 5 km/hour
Central to any consideration about space and place must be - People

53. Walking as an aesthetic practice
“…an action that
is simultaneously
an act of
perception and of
creativity of
reading and
writing the
territory”
Francesco Careri
‘Alinemadebywalking’RichardLong1968

54. WE HAVE A MAXIMUM VELOCITY OF 32 Km/h

55. Velocity

56. OUR RIB CAGE CAN WITHSTAND IMPACTS AT UP TO 32 Km/h
Our ancestors used to chase down prey by running them to the ground.

57. When walking we look where we are putting our feet!
public realm is a recent invention.
O

63. Cultures are different………

64. Climates are different……….

65. Climates are different……….

66. But the way
people inhabit
and use space
is universal

68. !
What do we experience at eye-level?

70. !
We need a lot of stimuli
1000 stimulus per hour =
1 per every 4 seconds

72. !
Human senses are a necessary planning consideration
4
sec. 4
sec. 4
sec.

73. Public distance (3.5-10 m)

74. Personal distance (0.5-1.3 m)

75. Intimate distance (0-0.5 m)

76. !
The social field of vision range 0,5 - 100m

77. 5 km/h environment:
Made for walking through
Bo 01 Malmö

78. 60km/h environment
made for driving through

80. Mode share on Regent Street 2010
Traffic congestion on Oxford Street, Regent Street & Bond Street, The Crown Estate
Share of Regent Street road space today
Pedestrians are 77 % of users - but today only
have 42 % of road space

81. 62
It is costing us the earth, it is costing us our lives
“Houston - the city with the fattest people in the world”

82. 63
”In this City everything
will be done to invite
people to walk and cycle
as much as possible in
the course of their daily
life”

83. 64
TRAFFIC PLANNERS MAKING ROOM FOR MORE CARS
TRAFFIC PLANNERS MAKING CARS HAPPY!

88. WE HAVE TO MAKE HARD DECISIONS

89. This burns Oil and Costs you Money

90. This burns
Calories
and
Saves you Money

91. New York is turning people friendly!
Place Making is about the economy stupid!

92. Summer Streets
and the pilot projects

93. NYC Dept. of Transport w/ Gehl Architects,
Published: 13 Nov 2008

94. DOT used
in-house staff
and resources
to deliver the project.

96. Herald Square - before

97. Herald Square - after

98. Times Square - before

99. Times Square - after

101. Instant use

103. Copenhagen’s holistic approach to urban design

104. Number of cafe chairs throughout
Copenhagen inner city
The number of café chairs rose by 61% between 1986-1995
The number increased by another 47% between 1995-2005
Number of parking spaces in
Copenhagen inner city
23% of inner city parking was removed between 1986-1995
Another 13% was removed between 1995-2005
Who is invited to the city?

105. Copenhagen Modal Split
61% of those who bike do so out of convenience
People don’t change their behaviour when you tell them to;
People change when the context makes it easy!

106. Copenhagen Modal Split
61% of those who bike do so out of convenience
People don’t change their behaviour when you tell them to;
People change when the context makes it easy!

107. THE THIRD LAW OF PHYSICS
!

108. Reclaiming our street

111. Focus on Making
Cities for People
!
When cities
attract people they
attract

112. Focus on Making
Cities for People
!
When cities
attract people they
attract
Thank you