Re-pedestrianising open spaces through optimising mobility in urban landscape: great importance of the small detail

Abstract

Many big, average and even small towns have been dramatically car-invaded through the past twenty years in Eastern Europe. That resulted in fragmented open spaces and endangered mobility through the streets and blocks of the city. The paper addresses the issue of comfortable access to urban open space by bringing the multidimensional approach that includes aesthetical, infrastructural and social tools and applications. On the example of Joniškis town in Lithuania, the paper presents a solution toolkit for assessing the existing mobility situation, developing a re-pedestrianising action plan and programming the impact of the applied measures. The results of the multidimensional approach show that by giving priority for pedestrians against cars in urban open spaces and drive-ins cities can achieve multiple environmental and social-economic benefits. Open spaces become safer, more attractive and pleasing and more people visit them. The proposed model serves as a continuous professional development topic for landscape architects researching, teaching and designing in the private, public and non-governmental sectors.