Dear Steve,
Apologies for cross-postings. Some of you will have already received this; I am putting it here because cycling issues will come into this debate and it would be useful if people with a cycling interest could participate. WE ARE ALREADY CLOSE TO THE CAPACITY (154) SO IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE REGISTER STRAIGHT AWAY. We will be starting a reserve list and emailing those who have already registered to see if anyone has changed their mind. Sharing or Separation: Which Way for Streets of the Future? Tuesday 22 May 2012 A debate with Ben Hamilton-Baillie and Steve Melia and chaired by Prof. Graham Parkhurst What questions will the debate explore? Is sharing space in streets better than separating modes? Under what circumstances is it better to share, or better to separate? How can street design best influence transport behaviour and the quality of the urban environment? The debate will begin with short presentations from Steve and Ben, and will then open up to contributions from the audience. This debate will be of particular interest to transport planners, spatial planners, urban designers and anyone interested in the future of our streets and our towns and cities. Background The ‘shared space’ approach to street design has become very influential in the UK in recent years, with the Department for Transport recently issuing guidance to local authorities on how to apply the principles (Local Transport Note 1/11). The basic idea is that emphasising place qualities and avoiding highway elements and demarcations between vehicles and pedestrians can improve the street environment, lower speeds and reduce the dominance of motor traffic. Recent research published by UWE has called into question some of the claims made for shared space, provoking a lively debate in the planning, transport and general media. Moderators Ben Hamilton-Baillie is generally regarded as the leading proponent of shared space, whose work has increased the influence of these ideas in the UK and elsewhere. His design consultancy, Hamilton-Baillie Associates specialises in reconciling traffic movement with quality public spaces in cities, towns and villages. It has designed many shared space schemes around the country. Dr Steve Melia is a Senior Lecturer in Transport and Planning at UWE’s Centre for Transport and Society. He was co-author of the research paper, which called into question the recent guidance from the Department for Transport. He also initiated the Living Heart for Bristol campaign, which aims to remove through traffic from the centre of Bristol. Debate Chair Prof Graham Parkhurst is the Director of UWE’s Centre for Transport and Society. Please register online: http://www.formstack.com/forms/uwe-sharing_or_separation