In recent years I've seen several cities reclaiming their streetscapes for pedestrians. Half a block from me there's this 5-way intersection that was difficult to cross until a city project expanded the corners and demarcated them with big colorful chunks of granite and these 3-foot wide flower pots with all sorts of plants growing in them. The shorter distance between corners makes for safer street crossing, and I even a sense of ownership as a pedestrian when I sit on the granite slabs with friends surrounded by foliage.
This winter they've been ripping up the corner to do some work on the pipes below the street. When I went to cross this morning, I was confused, not so much because of the bulldozers and road cones and caution tape, but because the giant pots and obelisks had shifted to make room for the work. As I spent time trying to navigate the confusion, I realized that my ability to "see" at that intersection is based mostly on memory. Although I could not draw a map of where those pots and rocks normally are, I've become accustomed to having them as markers of place and safe passage. Move them around and I don't know where I am in relation to what.
This winter they've been ripping up the corner to do some work on the pipes below the street. When I went to cross this morning, I was confused, not so much because of the bulldozers and road cones and caution tape, but because the giant pots and obelisks had shifted to make room for the work. As I spent time trying to navigate the confusion, I realized that my ability to "see" at that intersection is based mostly on memory. Although I could not draw a map of where those pots and rocks normally are, I've become accustomed to having them as markers of place and safe passage. Move them around and I don't know where I am in relation to what.
If you ever want an outside eye at any complex intersection, I'm happy to come and offer safe crossing strategies! Moving around street furniture can really throw a lot of people off as they're great landmarks and you really don't expect something that large to be displaced. You can still use traffic sounds, lines of direction, and visual tracing to help orient yourself to your direction and path of travel. If you combine all of that with the use of visual landmarks, it can be super useful.
ReplyDeleteThanks Goat!
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