Page 22 - Landscape-Issue150

FEATURE

The new town centre is framed by extensive open space that Westown has been designed as a walkable city. The green Class 6 movement channels turn the
provides for walks, trail running, mountain biking and horse city block structure into a circulation network that favours pedestrians and cyclists.
riding. It is designed to be secure, well-lit and extensively used.

urban movement by foot, bicycle, e-bike,
mini-motorised scooters, skateboards,
roller blading, hover boards, uni-wheels,
etc., means that we have concentrated
on wide pedestrian walkways. These
will be augmented by arcaded building
edges, as buildings develop according to
the ‘responsive architecture’ required by
Westown’s design code.
These pedestrian walkways are set
back from the kerb line and are shielded
from passing vehicular movement by
a generous ‘NMT’ lane (non-motorised
transit lane for cycles, e-bikes, etc.) which
is itself separated from the vehicle lanes
by a 130mm high barrier kerb.

Introducing the ‘braille trail’
As far as is known, this has also been the
Apart from generous sidewalks and cycle lanes that are disengaged from traffic lanes, the architectural first time that a ‘braille trail’ has been
code requires responsive edges to buildings at sidewalk level. introduced comprehensively into a town:
it is a system designed for safe and easy
Although there are several parking areas walkable city; a place where cars are not navigation for sight-impaired people. This
surrounding Westown Square’s interface the dominant characteristic of urban innovation goes beyond simply flagging
with its adjacent roads, these are in fact life. Commuting, in future, becomes hazardous conditions with textured
development sites that will ultimately be less necessary as people live, work, play, pavers. The full length of pedestrian
filled with mixed-use urban activities that pray and are educated in the immediacy walkways, as well as the pedestrian
form a positive interface with the streets, of the place. When commuting is crossings at table top intersections, are
cycleways and sidewalks – this is referred to necessary, convenient and affordable edged with a 400mm wide textured paver
as ‘responsive architecture’. public transport must become our future strip that separates the NMT route from
The client, Carlos Correia, was adamant and has been promoted in the overall the pedestrian walkway along which a
that this reconstituted village ‘high street’ design. Complexity of mixed-use, as well sight-impaired person will move.
shopping precinct would be defined by a as compactness of spatial extent, are the Sight-impaired pedestrians are thus not
landscape that was as important, if not more two founding principles where people only assisted with a learned navigational
so, than the built form: the landscaping find everything they need within an easy guide, but are also alerted to adjacent
qualities have to enhance the built form five to ten minute walk or cycle. NMT movement and street crossings. It is
but more importantly, they have to become hoped that in future, we will also be able
destination elements in their own right. More than just ‘roads’ to introduce a system where, through a
People will come here as families, as friends The urban design focuses on boulevards, small transponder in the tip of a white
and as a community because of the parks, avenues, streets and lanes that are not cane, flash lights can be triggered to warn
the village green, the village square and the simply the usual conduits for motorised motorists and NMT commuters of the
outdoor entertainment. movement: the cross-section of these presence of a sight-impaired pedestrian.
‘spaces’ (as opposed to the usual roads), The transponder would also be able to fit
A walkable city has ample sidewalks that have become a into the harness of a guide dog.
With the many opportunities offered by fundamental element of the town centre’s
a greenfields development, the urban logic. Table top intersections
design of the node sets out to create a The worldwide explosion of increased Virtually all street intersections in the town

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