Since automobile has become the major transportation, street has been divided into the one for automobile traffic and the rest space. As a result, the role of street as social communication has reduced therefore does not secure safety and convenience ...
Since automobile has become the major transportation, street has been divided into the one for automobile traffic and the rest space. As a result, the role of street as social communication has reduced therefore does not secure safety and convenience of pedestrian. Furthermore, people have started to become interested in urban landscape and aware of the importance of streetscape which forms the image of city.
As shown, the street of today requires three functions: safe & comfortable space for pedestrian, space for social communication, beautiful landscape in which spatial and regional characteristics have been reflected. In doing so, various policies and projects are being carried out but anyone of them is not working properly. In addition, the majority of street design elements are related to the three functions both directly and indirectly. However, the efforts for improvement of street environment are being implemented separately therefore pose limitations for pedestrian-centered street which satisfies all three functions together.
Accordingly, an integrated guideline seems to be required for systematic administration of the aforementioned three functions and various elements of streets to form pedestrian-centered street. In this light, the study examines the characteristics of plan of relevant foreign guideline to deduct implications which can be applied for preparation of guideline which needs to be prepared firstly. Especially, we focus on the concept of complete streets of America, which co-exists with both automobile and pedestrian. Based on such concept, this paper examines the characteristics of street design guidelines of four cities which cope with the elements of street design comprehensively in pedestrian-centered perspective assuring the three aforementioned functions.
In conclusion, the implications of this paper for preparation of the integrated guideline for pedestrian-centered street by local governments are as follows.
Firstly, the objectives of guideline including safety, locality, sustainability, aesthetic aspect and others need to be set clearly, designing method need to be suggested in detail to set up the integrated guideline for designing pedestrian-centered street.
Secondly, the type of street needs to be classified according to the various conditions of one. Further, guideline needs to be suggested depending on the different types of street to make differentiated streetscape. To classify the type of street, the contexts of surrounding locations such as the land use, development density, activity level of pedestrian along with functional classification of road should be considered.
Thirdly, frontage space of building, curbside, footpath space, road space need to be considered comprehensively to create various spaces of pedestrian on street. In addition, parts of road space which are not utilized enough, curbside and frontage space of building need to be seen as potential space for pedestrian for preparation of guideline.
Fourthly, street needs to be planned eco-friendly network to design street space. In doing so, both environmental and scenic implications needs to be taken into account together.
Fifthly, the areas for pedestrian need to be subdivided for providing convenience for pedestrian those who use street for various purposes as well as to prevent clashing between facilities and pedestrians on the street. The reason is to secure order between various functions of street for providing convenience for pedestrian regarding pass and the use of facilities
Sixthly, clear standards of interval and design need to be provided for guiding the elements for street space. To proposing the standards for interval of street, interval between the same facilities and other ones need to be suggested clearly for both functional aspect and visual order of elements of street. Further, guideline for material, equipment, size, formation, color and type for standard design need to be provided in accordance with the goal and vision of each local community for the fundamental uniformity of streetscape.
For successful application of integrated guideline for local government of Korea, further researches need to be carried out on the method for application and operation of the guideline for its institutionalization for appropriate review including comparison with more cases and environments of Korea along with suggestions proposed by this article.