Talk:Shared space

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

	This article covers subjects of relevance to Architecture. To participate, visit the Wikipedia:WikiProject Architecture for more information. The current monthly improvement drive is Architectural history.	Architecture Portal
???	This article has not yet received a rating on the assessment scale.
???	This article has not yet received an importance rating on the assessment scale.

[edit] Merge in of Living street

"Naked streets" provide journalists with an eye-catching headline, but it is actually a poor description of shared space. Shared space involves much more than the removal of signs, signals, barriers and markings (important though such steps are). Successful shared space schemes involve developing a change in the "mental map" of streets and public spaces (see David Engwicht "Mental Speed Bumps"), and dressing streets with a strong contextual response to context and human activities. "Living Streets" are essential to developing public space and strong and confident communities, and both contribute to, and are helped by, shared space design concepts. "Home Zones" can be helpful, but tend to be limited to individual or sets of residential streets. They have also, like the woonerf in The Netherlands, become part of the regulated highway language. Shared space is intrinsically about moving streets and public spaces outside the regulatory framework. Ben Hamilton-Baillie

We would need to concur that living street is actually a shared space scheme. The essential element of shared space is that all types of users of the public space have equal priority and there are no signs or rules dictating how interactions occur. The living street article has a slight anti-car tone, exemplified by this extract "...the needs of car drivers are secondary to the needs of users of the street as a whole", and by the implication that speed limits are necessary to allow cars access to the space. -De Facto 11:37, 26 April 2006 (UTC)

As far as I can see there is little if anything to formally distinguish living streets, home zones, naked streets and shared space. All share the same fundamental approach, after all. All are, as far as I can tell, subject to speed limits (for obvious reasons), but rely primarily on a design which makes driving above those speeds unlikely anyway. Just zis Guy you know? 11:44, 26 April 2006 (UTC)

Shared space is based upon the philosophy of designing public space in such a way as to allow unregulated human social interactions to dictate behaviour. To prescribe a speed limit is to doubt that the philosophy will work. If the scheme is designed well speed will naturally be limited, but by consent, not by order. -De Facto 11:56, 26 April 2006 (UTC)

It's the difference between the concept and the implementation: the implementations at present are partial, inspired by the concept. Kensington High Street still has some signage, for example, due to legal requirements on traffic islands (apparently). Just zis Guy you know? 12:56, 26 April 2006 (UTC)

Yes. If something is required by law, such as a specific sign, or a specific limit, then, assuming the law cannot be bypassed, the item will have to be present. That is not to say that the item is an integral part of the scheme, or that the scheme would not work without the item. Different legislation will, naturally, apply in different jurisdictions. The article may, of course, mention these imlementation details - and describe them as such, but it shouldn't undermine the principle that they are not dictated by the shared space philosophy, and thus are superfluous. -De Facto 13:13, 26 April 2006 (UTC)

Strong object to merge There is a fundamental difference between the concepts of "naked streets" and "home zones" and the two concepts should not be conflated. The home zone/woonerfen concept is a specific legal status where the duties/priorities of the road users are clearly defined. The declaration of a home zone/woonerf does not ipso facto require the application of any of the "naked street" design philosophies. (Although clearly in their purist form such designs are applied, particularly for custom designed schemes ). --Sf 14:35, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

Actually I've just reread the living street article and there is a strong argument that the home zone/woonerf parts should be split out into thier own article(s) --Sf 14:55, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

Strong merge - Even if there is a conceptual difference there is so much content overlap that a common article is demanded at present. Citations desperately needed too! Cutler 00:51, 8 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Merge in of assertions

To ensure that the article grows in a sustainable and controlled fashion I think we need to ensure that imported assertions are supported by correctly cited sources (see WP:CITE). -De Facto 11:46, 26 April 2006 (UTC)