From ‘just another street’ to a vital civic asset
The transformation of this once car-centric and hostile road into a vibrant and accessible public realm for the city center was key to Gehl’s strategic vision for New Road. Together with Landscape Projects the team realized the vision, designing natural stone surfaces and smooth curbs that enabled pedestrians to move freely across the street.
A finely crafted long wooden bench accompanied this redesign. The bench was placed along the edge of the public space, providing a front-row seat to the theater of urban revival along New Road. The results of a 2011 observational survey make an indisputable case for the success of this ‘revival’; traffic levels dropped by 93%, the number of cyclists increased by 22%, and the number of pedestrians increased by 162%. Overall, there was a 600% increase in the number of individuals spending time on New Road.
The design transformed the area socially and economically. The new paving and seating shifted the dynamic of the street: opening up the space to people and making interactions and social encounters more commonplace. With local citizens quick to embrace the design change, their increased presence contributed to an assumed uptick in local commerce.
Awards: UK Civic Trust Street Design; CABE Special Award, UK National Transport Awards and 2008 Landscape Institute Awards Design.
