It is a reality, this project that already we promoted from this blog a few years ago, and has become the first public infrastructure project financed by collective funding, becoming the beginning of crowdfunding urbanism.

The idea arose in parallel to the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) under the name I make Rotterdam, and soon generated a great expectation.

The initiative was proposed in 2011 by ZUS team provided unite three parts of Rotterdam, before disconnected due to be separated by railway tracks.

In the dissemination strategy of the project, in addition to the bright yellow color used iconically, highlights that included the ability to customize a portion of the bridge inscribing the name of each donor an amount exceeding 25 €. A customization that characterizes the new road and also gives it a symbolic collective belonging.

This urban strategy has been accompanied by the reuse of outbuildings to this new route. Have therefore been established around new housing, shops and an urban garden, which have helped revitalize the area.

+ Information

Images: Deezen

La entrada Luchtsingel pedestrian bridge | Crowdfunding urbanism | Rotterdam se publicó primero en More Than Green.

“The project is located on a undeveloped site which represents a real break in the urban structure of the city. The intervention, beyond resolving a garage, is conceived as an opportunity to build infrastructure that jointly solves accessibility, providing new public spaces and green areas.

The program of 111 parking spaces is organized in two buildings with two towers of panoramic elevators, and large urban spaces on both decks. The project transversely joins the new urban spaces with the closest urbanizations and guarantees vertical access from the lowest point of the neighborhood, where the train station connects Renteria with San Sebastian, to the highest point.”

(via plataformaarquitectura.cl)

(+info)

La entrada Urban Suture | Parking, public space and accessibility in the residential plot | VAUMM se publicó primero en More Than Green.

An urban project in Basque Country transformed an obsolete tunnel into a pathway for bikes.

This new pathway runs along a tunnel previously occupied by a railway that connected Bilbao and San Sebastián. The new infrastructure was built in 2009 and connects the Amara and Ibaeta neighbourhoods. In the year of its inauguration, some newspapers remarked that it was one of the longest bicycle infrastructures in the world. The bike path has a length of 2km, while the part that goes through the tunnel is 840m long. The project started when the Basque government decided to change the path of the railway and build a subway train. This part of railway thus became obsolete.
runs along a tunnel previously occupied by a railway that connected Bilbao and San Sebastián. The new infrastructure was built in 2009 and connects the Amara and Ibaeta neighbourhoods. In the year of its inauguration, some newspapers remarked that it was one of the longest bicycle infrastructures in the world. The bike path has a length of 2km, while the part that goes through the tunnel is 840m long. The project started when the Basque government decided to change the path of the railway and build a subway train. This part of railway thus became obsolete.

The project for rehabilitating the railway track lasted nine years and concluded in 2009. The project became famous when The Guardian included it in a list of the best bike infrastructures in the world. Norwegian experts have become interested in it and went to Basque country to research on the effects of this infrastructure. The project was aimed at promoting the use of the bike amongst the commuters of the area (students of the university and the workers of the factories nearby).

La entrada Morlans tunnel | The tunnel of a railway that turned into a bike path se publicó primero en More Than Green.

The installation qualitatively improves the experience of public transport users by making the waiting time more exciting.

This permanent project was conducted by Chilean artist Tania Ruiz in 2010 at the Central Railway Station in Malmö (Sweden). The action is part of a larger-scale project undertaken by the administration of the City Tunnel (Citytunneln), infrastructure to which this station belongs, in collaboration with the Swedish National Public Art Council. The overall project was born from the decision to eliminate advertising in all areas of the tunnel and replace it with art installations.

“The Citytunneln administration views installation art as a strategic ally since it believes that it can actively contribute towards the well-being of its users. This, then, encourages the use of public transport and reduces traffic in private cars, effects which are fully in keeping with the Malmö urban plan which strives for economic and ecological sustainability.”

In this line, the “Elsewhere” installation makes the waiting time until the arrival of the train more exciting, improving the experience of the public transport user.

“Elsewhere is a multi-projection video art work which seeks to transform the reinforced concrete landscape of the Malmö C underground station into a wide open space.”

“Through a projection device that evokes the perceptual experience from the train, the viewers will be invited to lose themselves in images during their wait. The projections acting as windows, the station itself becomes a train that loses its spatial and temporal rails, itinerant across the earth.”

Although sometimes this kind of artistic projects may seem anecdotal or irrelevant, they are actually able to positively affect the quality of the urban space and enhance citizens’ perception of the city and its infrastructures.

In this sense, the administration of the City Tunnel proves to be aware that the improvement of public transport should not be exclusively focused on quantitative criteria (distance to station, frequency, punctuality, speed…), but also on qualitative aspects that significantly affect citizens’ decision on what means of transport they want to use.

“In terms of tempo, [‘Elsewhere’] is conceived as a release for the individual viewer. The recorded images are slowed down, in contrast with the speed of everyday urban life, in order to ease the experiential flow of time”.

(+info)

La entrada Elsewhere| Video art installation at a railway station | Malmö, Sweden se publicó primero en More Than Green.

After eight years of waiting and citizens’ demand, the elevated bike lane links the highway and the harbour bridge. Dissing and Weitling architects have reinvent a strategy usually built for cars as a new bike space. People in Copenhagen used to have complicated options to cross the river: go up and down stairs with their bikes or take long, tricky and narrow detours shared with pedestrians.

This new infrastructure, that is 4m wide and 200m long, has two main benefits: first, it makes easier to use the bike in Copenhagen and, second, it has diminished the bike presence in the lower level. Cyclers can cross this two way lane in less than a minute while enjoying beautiful views.

Copenhagen is an example regarding social awareness in relation to public transport. The importance that the bike has in this city encourages the continuous demand for improving the cycling infrastructure.  Copenhagen’s citizens have learnt to propose new ways of connecting different places of the city with bike lanes and detect the deficiencies that this infrastructure may have.

(source of the images: The Guardian.com; author of the images: Sandra Hoj)

(via The Guardian.com) 

(+info) 

La entrada Cycle Snake | the new bike infrastructure | Copenhagen se publicó primero en More Than Green.

On the occasion of the celebration of World Car-Free Day on 22 Septembre in Riga, Latvia, a group of cyclists performed a curious and impressive urban intervention: during the city rush hour and when the influx of traffic is the highest, toured the main avenues and streets in bicycle loading a structure that simulates a car and occupies the same space as this. In this way, they not merely demonstrate emphatically the space occupied by each car but also they managed to raise awareness those who don’t notice what it means for mobility in the city the use of private vehicles instead of bicycles or public transport, not to mention CO2 emissions.

(Via Plataforma Urbana)

La entrada Cyclists denounce space occupied by cars through an urban intervention | Riga se publicó primero en More Than Green.

This tour shows the latest bicycle innovations in Copenhagen: a wonderful new bridge (the Cycle Snake); the Green Wave, where cyclists going 20 Km/hr get the green light and might never have to stop because green LEDs are built into the road beside the bike lane; or bins inclined at a comfortable angle for cyclist to deposite trash without stopping his journey. The result of that is a 5% increase to 42% share of trips into the city and a lot fewer cars.

In words of Clarence Eckerson, Jr:

“Copenhagen just keeps finding new ways to make it easier and more convenient to bike. Recently I had the chance to take a tour with Mikael Colville-Andersen of Copenhagenize and see some of the innovations that have changed the city’s streets since I was there four years ago.

First off, if you’ve seen my 2010 Streetfilm about Copenhagen’s bike infrastructure and culture, the busiest bicycle street in the world has changed: The Knippelsbro Bridge now boasts 40,700 riders per day! And speaking of bridges, Copenhagen is building six new crossings exclusively for biking and walking to help its citizens get around.

Last month another cool bridge debuted — the Cykelslangen (“Bicycle Snake”). You’ll see loads of footage as we traveled back and forth. It is truly a handsome piece of infrastructure. Even going uphill seems pretty easy!

You’ll see lots of other things that will make you happy (or angry your city isn’t doing more!), including waste baskets angled for cyclists, LED lights that indicate whether riders have to speed up to catch the green wave, and a cool treatment for cobblestone streets that helps make biking easier.”

(+info: STREETFIMLS)
(Vía Treehugger)

La entrada A journey around Copenhagen’s bicycle innovations se publicó primero en More Than Green.

Copenhagen is well known for being one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world, perhaps the most bike-friendly city. Adding to its bike awesomeness, it opened a bicycle superhighway network in April 2012. Originally, 13 routes were planned, but now that is up to 26. In total that will come to 300 km of superhighway bike routes.

Some of the routes will simply be upgrades to existing bike paths, and others will be completely new. The first route is the 17.5-km Albertslund Route, running through Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Albertslund and Rødovre.

(+info)

(via cleantechnica)

La entrada The Cycling Superhighway | Copenhagen se publicó primero en More Than Green.

Documentary relating the series of events that leaded to the massive construction of cycle paths.

The documentary shows how Dutch people developed a new environmental and social awareness. The causes were the oil crisis and the excessive motorization of the country. The first consequences: high price of petrol, high rate of casualties in car accidents, destruction of consolidated urban patterns  for the construction of new roads, less social interactions, etc.

The solution Dutch proposed, some years ago, to fight a problem -which is now common to every developed country- has been very successful.

Holland has managed to develop and to innovate while keeping their social and environmental values, as well as a powerful cultural identity. And all that, without cars.

(via la Ciudad Viva)

La entrada How did Dutch people manage to get their cycle paths? se publicó primero en More Than Green.