The Space of Urban Road Focusing on Human Scale

Abstract:

The space of urban road has two scales: auto scale and human scale. There are three differences between the two scales: landscape spatial pattern, energy consumption and space perception. The manifestations of urban road space lacking human scale are discussed, such as the improper scale of pedestrian pace and the disconnection between landscape and experience. Based on the human scale of the urban road space, four evaluation criteria are provided: comfortability for walking, convenience for rest, friendly landscape, and identifiability of the space. The corresponding measures for road space reallocation are introduced: pleasant walking space, reasonable crossing facilities, reasonable leisure facilities, pedestrian-oriented landscape, and pedestrian identification system. Especially, landscape should have a human scale. This theory will provide a new basis for guiding the design of urban roads.