Amsterdam Bollard video

Zip - Zitpaaltje Amsterdam - Jihyun David from Jihyun David on Vimeo.
Amsterdam based design studio Jihyun David is proud to present ZIP!

www.zitpaaltje.nl

ZitPaaltje, or ZIP when abbreviate, is a temporary street installation inspired by the
city of Amsterdam and its bike’s culture.
We transformed the so-called Amsterdammertjes, the famous and ubiquitous posts
in the streets of Amsterdam, into a rather comfortable “city” stool.
The seats are made from classic Dutch bike saddles constructed on the bollards
with a solid piece of metal that can be easily placed and removed. At the bottom a
footrest is also inserted to the bollard, to make the stool more comfortable.
The project is meant to activate the street as a place to enjoy..
This special seats are temporally located on key spots in Amsterdam to provide
great view over the Dutch capital.
• Zip is about Amsterdam. By combining two of the symbols of Amsterdam, bikes
and red bollards, it creates a new icon of Amsterdam’s design.
• Zip is Fun. It’s fun to ride it and it’s “Leuk” to take a picture on it!
• Zip is about Re-Use. Re-thinking the built environment, re-cycling, up-cycling, are
in the DNA of the project
• Zip is about re-discovering public space. By providing comfort and fun, ZIP can
transform an empty space into an attractive spot.
• ZIP is for people and not for cars. It invites people to consider the importance of
the street as a social space and not only as a traffic domain.
• Zip is temporary and nomad, hurry up !

www.jihyundavid.com

Amsterdam's Bollard Experience Prototypes

A'dam's Bollard experience prototypes DEC. 08 - D.A. Artuffo

If streets elements were designed with the man in mind our city environment will be used differently?

If the streets elements become more enjoyable, will the street look also more safe?

Thesis outline

The Living Streets

The dissertation is structured as follows.

I Introduction
Introduces the reader to the general problem of pedestrian safety and the rapid invasion of the
motorcar in urban areas. Briefly mentions the consequences on daily life of the the modernist
approach of separating pedestrian and vehicles in cities.
Outline current concerns on the subject of road safety and underline successful approaches and their limits.

II Middle Bit
A: Previous work, specific to the methods of sharing spaces and reappropriation of streets as vital
public spaces.
B. The Aldo Van Eyck work and its relevance as a ground level approach on the problems in cities.
C. The dynamics of my research, my observation of people on specific cities and first insights
D. The importance of “one off “ designs as test pilots of my final design and how they influences the
research
E. Outlines how I dealt with the gained insights and how they become part of a list of design
requirements
F. Discussion on how my design(results) could integrate previous work made by others (such as shared
places) and also evaluate the value of my approach.

III Conclusions
Highlight the major findings on the ways in which design can help the urban streets to be reconquered as a living public space

Research Question

First we shape the city than the city shape us. Winston Churchill

R.Q: How can we create, by designing the streetscape, a safer, more pleasant environment for people rather than for cars?

“The quality of a city has to do with the quality of the public space” said once the urban designer Jan Gehl. But in the course of time, traffic has obtained a predominant influence on the use of public space that such space is only meaningful in its traffic-related functions.
Man, as a user of public space, has been reduced to a small part of the system.By intervening in the domain of infrastructures, the “hardware” and people's behaviours, the “soft” aspects of the city (Sikiaridi/Vogelaar,2006), my thesis addresses the integration of traffic with other forms of human activity. Design can shift back the lay-out of the urban roads to a more predominant public use by starting a process of shifting the language of standardized street elements into tailored public furniture and micro architectures.

Design can bring new approaches on the use of the public space and open new paths of urban design. A gradual transformation of the spaces trough design interventions can invite people to reappropriate the public space by making it convenient, safer, attractive, and sociable.

Work in Progress

Inspirations

Midterms Submission (updated)

“The observation that the risk of an individual pedestrian or bicyclist being hit by a motor vehicle decreases as the number of pedestrians or bicyclists increases, respectively runs counter to what one might expect .”

Safety in Numbers by Brad Aaron

Thesis Title:

SOFT ROAD DESIGN

R.Q:

How design can help to humanize urban roads from mainly traffic to a more predominant public(people) use?

Abstract:

Feeling safe when we and our children make use of the road is a basic need.

But often this need of security induces attitudes of closure that effectively reduces the quality of urban life. Alternative strategies seek out security in a more open and participatory enjoyment of urban activities.

A number of studies paradoxically affirms that when pedestrians make more use of the road, decrease the possibility of accidents between people and vehicles.

But in the course of time, traffic has obtained a predominant influence on the use of public space that such space is only meaningful in its traffic-related functions.

Man, as a user of public space, has been reduced to a small part of the system.

With design we can shift back the lay-out of the urban roads by marking a more predominant public use.

By intervening in the domain of infrastructures, the “hardware” and people's behaviours, the “soft” aspects of the city (Sikiaridi/Vogelaar,2006), my thesis addresses the integration of traffic with other forms of human activity.

Design thinking as a creative process can bring new approaches on the use of the public space and open new paths of urban design.

INSPIRATIONS: Click Me

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Click Me

EARLY.DESIGNS: Click Me

People research plan:

The Urban Design Research:

My research started by photographing interactions of people and elements that are part of the road network:

I'm planning to involve different groups of people of different ages and different nationalities. To be able to achieve successful feedbacks and results I will tryout several times the same method:

A first version of my "urban probe pack" is going to be tested on friends and students of the DAE. The number of people depends from their availability and will be defined better after a first tryout.A second version will be tested in the city of Venice and Torino during my Italian trip on the first week of November 2008.
The probe pack consist in a series of sticky cards especially conceived to let the participant be able to speculate and rediscover the urban space. The participants will comment on aspects of social life and co-relate them to the urban space by sticking the cards on the spots they want and then record it on a picture.
The results of the series of "urban probe packs" will bring a everyday-life into the design process as a source for ispirations.
The second fase consist in designing the research inspired concepts and in a more evaluative way , test them by creating prototypes and/or models.

R.Q: How can we increase pedestrian's road use and shift the identity of the road from motorist-centered to human-centered?

Experts in my subject:

City Counsellors:

Comune di Torino Settore Arredo Urbano for financial and more practical questions about urban designs and city planning.

Ilda Curti Città di Torino Assessore alle Politiche per l’integrazione

Urban designers: Walter Cavallaro, street furniture director Comune di Torino, Esterni.org - Design Pubblico

Xavier Lust designer, Belgium, Jp Decaux

Street Artists: Anish kapoor, Roadsworth Toronto, The London Police Amsterdam,

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Click Me



EARLY.DESIGNS: Click Me

photo credits: roadsworth montreal