Liveable streets
How to make streets more liveable? Within the plan “Let’s protect schools”, Silvia Casorrán explained various interventions “to create safe squares or safe places – and healthy also – in front of each school in Barcelona”. Concrete interventions, as “School streets (all cars removed), Coexistence streets (shared space) and Sidewalk expansion” are putting into practise. As Barcelona is “a city of streets” it is there where the city can and must be improved. A learning process is done by constant evaluation of all projects, resulting in adaptation of interventions types and approaches, there where needed. Giulia Sicignano showed various temporary public space examples in Milan that are managed to realise by “collaboration pacts that are basically an agreement where the municipality and the active citizens stated that they really want to take care of a new place and also to activate it .. [and] also you need to have seasonal activities and to make it liveable all over the year and for everyone.” In Milan, several temporary project are now worked out to have a more permanent character. Giulia also opens up the spectrum to the Milan region. She emphasises that, by lack of alternatives, “some people that live all around that are forced to use the car” and that “everyone should have the right to move in a sustainable way to go to work and to go also during the night”. How cities do handle those challenges are often less clear or even forgotten in the improvement of public spaces. Mário Alves, underlines that: “I think that is going to be one of the biggest challenges: it is the suburbs”, mentioning the importance of public transport and that “walkability and cyclability around the public transport should be safe, comfortable and exciting!” Mário also mentions that language and participation are fundamental in all the transformation and transition process. Being involved in the discission process is very important, as well having also “better technicians to consult the people”. So how to make liveable streets? Daniel Casas Valle concluded that ´the Future Design of Streets´ it is “not only in making new things but rediscovering old things that can have still today new kind of values to all of us!”, cities as Barcelona and Milan show that.
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