Vehicular and Pedestrian flows in Union Street in PlymouthThrough the lens of Movement

ARCH409 Theories and Methodologies Ben Twells

10198163

Christopher Balch

Contents

Abstract 3

Introduction 5

Literature review and policy context 6

Methodology 7

Results / Findings and analysis 10 -The Peoples Perception 13 - Space Syntax 14

Discussion and implications for policy /urban design 15

Conclusion 17

Bibliography 18

3

AbstractThe purpose of this empirical research study is to expand on current architectural discourse surrounding urban streetscape, way finding and knowledge, specifically through the lens of vehicular and pedestrian movement. A number of research methods have been adopted to try to understand how the role of Union Street in Plymouth is defined within the context of its surrounding area and the city. There will be studies at local scale highlighting specific conflicts that will then be accompanied by those at a larger scale.

5

Introduction This piece of research focuses on observation, people’s perception of Union Street and its surrounding area. Through theoretical studies and observation, the findings will be analysed to see how much focus has been placed on Union Street as a facilitator for movement. It is the comparison between these findings and what the research through observation shows, will conclude what role of Union street has within its context of the city. It will conclude with an understanding to the research question: ‘Does the linear form of Union Street facilitate movement or represent a barrier; if so what part has it played in the adverse effect on its street-scape?’ Many elements need to be explored for this research question, including the study of street treatment and highways components. Union Street in its present state has many barriers to prevent the progressive flow of pedestrian movement from the city centre down its linear route. In the Streetscape Design Manual (October 2006) commissioned for Nottingham City Centre, there are some codes of practice that are worth learning from. The report highlights different components to be implemented at the design stage, such as ‘clutter busting’. They refer to this as:

‘The proliferation of redundant signage and street furniture obstructs pedestrian movement, endangerspeople with sight problems and looks ugly.A Clutter Buster has been appointed to remove redundant signage and street furniture from the city centreand from pavements across the whole city.’1

This is an important tool for ridding our cities of streetscape clutter; the over engineered methods of controlling vehicular and pedestrian traffic. There will be information regarding the journey of a pedestrian down Union Street later in this text.

There are different user groups in the immediate area of Union Street:

Local residents (home zone area):The Home Zone area is a nation wide initiative to calm traffic movements through residential areas among other things. This particular area of Union Street has one of the poorest economies in the whole of the UK therefore street crime and illegal activity is commonplace.

Local residents (commuters):Recently there has been a push to regenerate Union Street and the Millbay area of Plymouth. This has produced a master plan of which gentrification is seen as a positive boost to the area not just economically but socially to.

Commuters through vehicle movement (in & out of the city centre):This describes the people that travel in the direction of and away from Plymouth’s city centre along Union Street.

Recreational users:These are the people that are walking towards the supermarket or the pub, car park, waterfront or taking their dog for a walk.

According to Kevin Lynch and Lloyd Rodwin’s paper ‘A Theory of Urban Form’ they say “The principal concern of the physical planner is to understand the physical environment and help shape it to serve the communities purposes.”2 This is interesting on first glance along Union Street due to the primary role of the street appearing to act as a facilitator for traffic as apparent later on.

There are many shops, clubs and pubs including the Grand Hotel and the Palace Theatre that at one time where bustling with culture and entertainment but now they have just been left to dereliction. The voids that have been created as a result of the failed upkeep of the built forms now render the streetscape a redundant and sporadic one. If we were to take Lynch’s ‘principal concern of the planner’ definition and apply it to this situation it 1 http://m.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=7140&p=02 Lynch, Kevin ; Rodwin, Lloyd, Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 1958, Vol.24(4), pp.201-214

6

would indicate that the people in this area are not valued at a level necessary to inform redevelopment and investment into this part of the city.

Literature review and policy context In Kevin Lynch and Lloyd Rodwin’s paper ‘A Theory of Urban Form’ the issue that the analytical skill of the physical planner has not been addressed and that a proper urban theoretical basis has been neglected is identified. It goes on to examine the possible analytical approaches to this issue, culminating with some potential goal formulations that relate to the previous urban forms analysed. Lynch begins the paper by explaining that rules of thumb and some palliative knowledge do exist for our “street intersections, neighbourhoods, and industrial areas, for separating different land uses, distinguishing different traffic functions, or controlling urban growth.”3 This is a rather interesting stand point on the view of how much over and above what already exists should actually be theorised to provide a better grounding from were the formation of urban spaces comes from. It is obvious that there should be a theoretical grounding as a basis by which planners make their final decisions to.

I have drawn upon the works of William Whyte and Jan Gehl for their contributions to the study and insights into the public realm. They where both pioneers in their own right, Whyte with his observations into pedestrian flow patterns and Gehl’s work into identifying the different activities that take place in a street day to day. He was one of the first to voice links between activity and the quality of the physical environment. In his book he speaks of returning the streets to the pedestrians and removing the motor car:

“Every time a street with automobile traffic is converted to a pedestrian street, there are renewed opportunities for hearing other people. The noise of cars is replaced by the sound of steps, voices, running water, and so forth. It is again possible to have a conversation, to hear music, people talking, children playing. In these traffic-free streets and in old pedestrian cities, it is possible to study how valuable and important the opportunity for hearing is for the general ambiance and for physical and psychological well-being”4

For the study area in question (Union Street, Plymouth) Bill Hillier’s Space Syntax Theory will be drawn upon to analyse the relationships between connections down the length of the street, from East to West. These results should support the argument that specific traffic infrastructure layouts have had an adverse effect on the accessibility of union street for pedestrian movement from the city centre. Therefore immersing itself in its current situation of degrading urban fabric and local deprivation. This among other factors have led to the decline of at one time one of the most vibrant areas in Plymouth City. This Architectural theory will be tested against observational studies along Union Street. The hunch is that they won’t directly correlate.

Government Policy for the design and future of streets has seen much change over the last 2-4 years, with 2014 marking the point for new Portas Pilot schemes to be initiated all over the UK. There are currently 15 towns and cities to have ‘harnessed the energy and enthusiasm of local people to breathe new life into their town centres, as it is only when local authorities, businesses and communities work together that things will happen on the ground.’5 The furthest Southern town to be identified is Liskeard6 which has had funding for three brand new websites to showcase the best aspects it can offer.

Eric Pickles from the Department for Communities and Local Government and HM Treasury, announced earlier this year that their is a large £1 billion budget to support smaller businesses and high street shops, therefore making a saving of around 30% on their business rates.7 ‘Michael Weedon, Deputy CEO of the British Independent Retail Association, said:’

“The high street has been crying out for help on business rates for years and it was good to see the Chancellor fully recognise the need for action in extending rate relief and creating the £1,000 discount for small shops and leisure

3 See 24 Jan Gehl, Life Between Buildings, 207 p, (1936) p1675 www.tripline.net/trip/Portas_Pilots 6 www.loveliskeard.wordpress.com7 www.gov.uk/government/news/local-shops-and-pubs-could-get-a-third-extra-off-tax-bill

7

outlets at the same time as he recognised the need for far-reaching reform of this tax.”8

Easing business rates for small shops will certainly benefit the high street but the chances of this policy having a profound effect on Union Street is questionable.

Methodology There are several different methods utilised for this piece of research. Observation through film and tally charts is a great starting point for the quantitative research gathering. William Whyte in his book ‘City’ talks about the physical street and describes the planning for vehicles over pedestrians as discrimination. He uses Fifth Avenue New York as an example:

“ The discrimination is a waster of time. New York Fifth Avenue provides an example. Each blockfront on the avenue is 200 feet long, building line to building line. If you start across at an intersection just as the light turns red. A platoon of fellow pedestrians forms up. After idling fifty seconds, you start off again, and again reach the next intersection just as the light turns red. There is no flow for the pedestrian: instead, a series of staccato stops and starts that makes walking tajke almost double the time it should and maximize the bunching of people into platoons”9

The same observation was made at one of the study areas explained later on. The streetscape was filmed at three different locations each over the course of a lunch time on a work day. The idea being to observe the interaction of pedestrians and vehicular movements and how the current highways layout affects pedestrian flows. The Space Syntax method will come into play when looking at connections between the complex network of side streets and the main street whilst showing how well connected Union Street is to the city centre. Cognitive mapping or ‘the Lynch method’ was used to understand the peoples perception of Union Street. This was a study that had to be carried out in the field. Work sheets were prepared prior to stopping people in the street at different locations. Each person was then asked to draw their own perception of the surrounding area and they were told to include Union Street as a requirement. The most interesting correlation between all of the maps and information collected was the level of significance placed on Union Street was dependant on the type of person interviewed and how much time spent on and around the street. For example some people simply refused to draw Union Street as they though it was an awful place to live near. Each of these methodologies identify 8 See 59 Whyte, William, City Rediscovering the Center (pg 69) important points surrounding the research

question. Once analysed and brought together they start to build a picture around what the role of Union Street is.

Image 1 clearly shows that in the majority of cases Union Street was so busy with traffic, that people have no choice but to cross were there is a pedestrian crossing. In this instance the traffic route along Union Street is an obvious barrier to the pedestrian movement. The bottom of the diagram shows Union Street as a linear form as a facilitator for traffic, it shows the pedestrian crossing at the centre. Just north of the main street is the Home Zone area where the councils traffic calming and shared streetscape initiatives become clear. There is very little vehicular movement and people’s paths meander in response to their own desire line or destination. This is an interesting observation as it is in direct contrast with how our town planners inform the design of the streetscape around us today. A

Image 18 See 59 Whyte, William, City Rediscovering the Center 366 p (1988) p 69

8

typical example being the built form followed by a linear pavement then a road, pavement and building line, this is the traditional high street formation whereby priority is given to vehicles traveling down the centre.

It would be fair to say that Union Street is now a run down street, with not much interaction or performance generated other than the antisocial behaviour that is becoming commonplace both day and night. Crime figures show that this is one of the most run down areas in Plymouth. This wasn’t always the case however, Union Street used to be a bustling street as there were great attractions flourishing such as the New Palace Theatre and the Grand Hotel. This would create a pull from the city centre for pedestrians. The transport infrastructure (seen in image 2) hasn’t changed a great deal in terms of the evolution of transport, there are just many more cars now and the economical tram system has been replaced with new City Buses. Due to the growing pressure to accommodate more cars and trucks the street has been widened which intern creates a faster thoroughfare for vehicles. This creates narrow pedestrian walkways (seen in image 4) giving the walker less of an excuse to stop.

Image 2

9

Image 3

Image 4

10Image 2

Results/findings Initially the information gathered was a simple quantitative research exercise to observe the amount of footfall and vehicle movements just off the busy main street in the home zone area (image 1). The study was short at 30 minutes but proved to be an effective method of obtaining data. There were however, a few assumed variables due to the nature of the task. The red lines show local residential foot traffic whilst the blue represents either commuters or people with other business or possibly a person belonging to a higher social class. This part is reliant on judgment at face value that for the purposes of this exercise is acceptable.

The observations made through short films have proved to be a great indicator as to how vehicle and pedestrians interact along Union Street. It has been pointed out that a reduction in vehicular and street furniture such as railings and bollards to keep the pedestrians away from the cars will create a safer and more friendly pedestrian experience. This can be a success due to the relationship building process between the two parties. The purpose of this exercise is to observe the street-scape and to record traffic and pedestrian movement to understand where people are going, what makes them choose to go that way and whether or not certain vehicular infrastructure deters people from traveling down Union Street. The findings may prove valuable to present urban theory when considering new road or junction layouts.

An observational study was carried out to determine what the volume of traffic is like on Union Street between the hours of 08:00 and 09:00 on a Monday morning. Each motor vehicle that passed in either direction was recorded on a tally chart. The variety of vehicles travelling into and away from the city centre included motorbikes, cars, lorries, taxis, buses, vans and police cars. In just one hour there was 480 vehicles traveling towards the city centre and 670 vehicles heading away from Plymouth City centre. These are interesting statistics as one might presume there would be a higher traffic volume travelling towards the centre of town. This may well be a result of large scale employment in Devonport; Plymouth’s industrial district where there is ship building and the Royal Navy hub for nuclear submarines. This study was carried out during the month of November, the significance of this is that if it was carried out in mid June or July the results might be very different due to the city centres large retail and commercial sector which acts as a massive attraction for tourists.

There are three main study sites for this research question. All located on Union Street they have been broken down into A - The pedestrian crossing next to the Palace Theatre, B - The Octagon roundabout and finally C - The point at which it meets Western Approach at a busy junction of main roads.

Image 5

11

Study Area A - Pedestrian Crossing

This observation took place for 15 minutes between 12:45 and 13:00. This time was deliberately chosen as it was expected there would be maximum pedestrian movement whilst people were on their lunch break. The tally chart recorded 100 people on their travels. The study didn’t uncover any optional activities taking place. Just necessary journeys from A to B. The majority of passers by either headed North, East or South from the junction. Not one person ventured West towards the supermarkets and further down the street. The movement heading this way was purely vehicular; people driving from the city centre to do their supermarket shopping.

Image 3

Image 4

Study Area B - Octagon Roundabout

This observation took place for 15 minutes between 13:00 and 13:15. At 132 pedestrians It proves to be slightly busier than site A, there is however a greater number of shops in business and a far greater volume of vehicular traffic. The main observation made first of all in this are of study (later noticed in all three) was the rather aesthetically unpleasant methods of controlling pedestrians or ‘safety measures’. Bollards, high kerbs, litter bins, signage and walkways funnelled in the direction the highways authority want you to go. The level at which these measures have infiltrated our cities have directly made drivers less patient and aware of pedestrian movements. By forcing the pedestrian / vehicular divide, the outcome is one that if a pedestrian would be to walk out into one of these roads there would either be a serious accident or a major argument. Cars and pedestrians in Plymouth’s City current model do not mix, they are enemies. Its ironic but by removing these ‘safety measures’ for pedestrians and the definitive separation of the pedestrian and the car we might have safer streets, with less accidents and more face to face interaction.

Image 5

Image 6

12

Study Area C - Busy Junction

This observation took place for 15 minutes between 13:15 and 13:30. Being the nearest to the city centre it is expected that this area not only has the highest vehicular traffic numbers but also pedestrian. The number here are 145 in 15 minutes. This area is the busiest in terms of conflicting issues between vehicular and pedestrian movements. To travel West from the North East of this area to the North West (Centre to Union Street) a pedestrian has to negotiate 4 sets of pedestrian lights across complex road junctions to reach the destination in question. The average time a pedestrian had to wait for was 35 seconds, that’s 140 seconds of waiting time. It wouldn’t be acceptable to make vehicles wait for pedestrians for this long would it?

Image 7

Image 8

Image 8 Image 8

An area with the most potential to be habitable (image 9) is located just next to study area A. The ground conditions are unpleasant with a half attempt to make tarmac look more appealing by using a fine light stone gravel rolled into it. This has deteriorated with the tarmac over time. By having the trees set out in a linear pattern like this funnels walkers to the edges of what could be a nice square with benches and potential performance areas. Image 10 shows the street from a pedestrians view point whilst trying to navigate a path along the length of Union Street. Interrupted by traffic infrastructure.

13

The peoples perception

To get a overview on what the general public thought of this area, there were interviews and mapping exercises carried out. It was important for the study not to discriminate between class or individual situations so an effort was made to become submerged within the locality of Union Street. There were some very strong opinions for and against living in or near Union Street. There was a strong feeling of change sweeping across the area of Millbay as different parts are developed over the next ten years or so. This became apparent whilst speaking to a social services spokesman, Simon:

“Its taken a long time for us to build up an understanding with the local community to ensure they understand what we are trying to do for the needs of our young people with all kinds of disabilities. We’ve had arguments with the local council about being moved out from the city centre. There has just been a new hostel built not far from here, so it appears acceptable to have drunks and junkies rolling around on the street but we’re the ones being moved out!”

You can feel Simon’s discontent with what the council plan to do with this area. Gentrification will undoubtedly happen to these parts and its groups like this that are most affected. However the development of certain buildings such as the Palace Theatre (study area A) will help boost necessary and optional activity to occur. A new school currently being constructed to the south of study area A will serve the local area, inducing these activities to take place. The prediction being that when these new developments and re-developments are completed Union Street shall have more of a pedestrian street scene. It will kick start other development along the street.

Image 9

Image 9

14

Space SyntaxThe purpose of using the space syntax programme is to show just how well connected Union Street is within its context. The image below shows the different connections intersecting and leading away from the main street. The different colours and tones range from a dark blue to intense red based on how many routes terminate at that point. We can see that at the East end of the street as it intensifies towards the city centre (connections increase) the syntax colours deepen. It is at each end of the street that there is greatest connections whilst the long drag in between remains at a relativity low connected value. So what does this tells us? The three study areas marked on the syntax model show points at which connections are slightly intensified, C being the most well connected.

Space Syntax as a tool for planning urban space to determine what routes need to accommodate larger numbers of vehicular traffic and therefore need to be made a certain width is very effective. However when it comes to designing for pedestrian flows its not as effective. The detail needed to work out whether or not a route is suitable for pedestrians movement and indeed going be a successful one is best done through careful observation of the space at ground level. This will enable urban planners and highways departments to determine what is the correct balance for vehicular and foot traffic movements. According to Tim Stoner and Ed Parham from the Harvard University Graduate school of Design, in an online lecture ‘research shows that 60-80% of movement flows are due to the structure of the network, measured by spatial accessibility. More accessible places get more movement. This does not mean that space determines individual movement. It means that human movement follows predictable patterns.’10

In this case Union Street is shown as an accessible place but observational studies show that the pedestrian count decreases along the street with the lowest count at the centre. So ‘more accessible places get more movement?’ The syntax model shows this to be correct but why isn’t is it only happening in theory and not on the ground in practice? What is happening to Union Street that is so vastly different to how it should be functioning?

10 www.slideboom.com/presentations/292558/Intro-to-Space-Syntax_Day-1

Image 9

15

Discussion and implications for policy /urban designThe research methods chosen to use have proven to have different outcomes. The Space Syntax Analysis shows that Union Street is actually a very well connected street to and from the city centre. Visually the street is a linear one and would seem to be well connected but who is it well connected for? The theoretical model shows vehicles of course: cars, buses, taxis, trucks, vans, lorries, motorbikes and police cars. There is no provision for cyclists and no consideration when it comes to pedestrian experience; interaction on the ground at a personal level (real time). Observing the vehicular movements along Union Street just proves that each 5 or more seater car, often with a maximum of two persons is in a hysterical rush. Especially at peak times. There is a concertina effect along the traffic as drivers speed up as fast as they can to make the lights, which from a driver perspective appear to be initiated by inconsiderate walkers trying to navigate their way across and along this high speed link into and out of the city centre.

The next results gathered through the observational videos show that there are many obstructions and difficult, pedestrian unfriendly encounters along Union Street, in the form of vehicular infrastructure. There is a pattern emerging here in that streets are now designed with vehicles in mind and not foot traffic, as William Whyte’s work identified. They also prove that Union Street is not well connected for the flow of people on foot. If we refer back to image 2, the street scene pre World War Two (circa 1930) shows people going about their business. Through careful observation you may notice people wearing their full length jackets and fur coats. This would indicate that the image was taken during the cold winter months yet the street is fairly busy. Images 3 and 4 were taken around noon on a very warm April day in 2014. The differences in pedestrian movement are obvious. This coupled with derelict buildings resembles the sights of a ghost town. Jan Gehl has for many years carried out experiments within the public realm at local and city scale. In his book ‘Life Between Buildings’ Gehl groups different types of activities (image 10) into three categories, necessary, optional and resultant activities. All of these activities occur in a healthy vibrant street. He identifies that activities have a certain correlation with the quality of the outdoor space which could be an explanation for not much social interaction taking place along Union Street.

“When outdoor areas of poor quality, only strictly necessary activities occur. When outdoor areas are of high quality, necessary activities take place with approximately the same frequency - though they clearly tend to take a longer

time , because the physical conditions are better. In addition, however, a wide range of optional activities will also occur because place and situation now invite people to sit, eat, play and so on. In streets and city spaces of poor quality, only the bare minimum of activity takes place. People hurry home.” 1110

This theory backed with substantial practice and observation of the different types of space by Gehl has shed some light on the troubles of Union Street. There needs to be spaces were optional activities occur, to enhance the quality of the physical environment with areas for sitting, eating and playing. Couple this with the theoretical model of space syntax Union Street would resemble the

11 Jan Gehl, Life Between Buildings, 207 p, (1936)Image 10

16

activity seen in the 1930’s.

Union Street has been subject to a traditional outlook on urban design which is a linear one. Vehicles are given priority and are seen as a necessity to the functioning of the city. Their movements are given priority when planning the streetscape. What if it was turned on its head and vehicles were down graded in the hierarchical structure of the street, to give more priority to the pedestrian, the sole contributor to creating a vibrant and successful street culture. Vehicles contribute very little positive impact on a streetscape, as they are passive to their surroundings. They are used simply as vessels of containment to transport people or goods from A to B. This detachment from interacting with the street at a personal pedestrian level is the sad motivator of the unsuccessful and dilapidated streets that are becoming commonplace. ‘Through’ routes in cities for the motor car have meant that there is less of an excuse to dwell in places that were once vibrant and important areas for day to day life.

17

ConclusionIt has become apparent that Union Street is a facilitator for vehicular movements and is not only a physical barrier to prevent the flow of pedestrian movement but also one that hinders the future development of the streetscape as a pedestrian enabled place were innocent transactions of monetary and social value can take place. Until Plymouth City reduces the number of personal vehicles into the city centre it is rather difficult to propose any alternatives to reduce the vehicular movements on Union Street as it is a main artery into and out of the centre. There is potential to close Royal Parade to personal vehicles and keep the buses running alongside the taxis. This would enable one whole carriageway to be landscaped therefore increasing pedestrian flow and experience down to Union Street. Not to mention the benefits of reducing pollution and traffic noise. The short answer is not to fully pedestrianise Union Street but just down grade the vehicular status in the street to give more over to the pedestrian. As seen through the research carried out their are many complex problems in this part of Plymouth; social, political and certainly economical.

18

BibliographyKey texts:

Appleyard,D.(1970). Styles and methods for structuring a city. Environment and Behavior, 2(1), 100 ‐ 117

Dalton, Ruth, Troffa, Renato, Zacharias, John and Hoelscher, Christoph (2011) Visual information in the built environment and its effect on wayfinding and explorative behavior. In: Urban Diversities - Environmental and Social Issues. Advances in People-Environment Studies, 2 . Hogrefe, pp. 67-75. ISBN 9780889373853

Jan Gehl, Life Between Buildings, 207 p, (1936)

Reginald G. Golledge (1999) Wayfinding Behavior: Cognitive Mapping and Other Spatial Processes.

Space Syntax (e.g. Hillier B. and Hanson J. (1984), The Social Logic of Space, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.)

Social Theory (e.g. Parker S (2004) Urban Theory and the Urban Experience –encountering the city. London, Routledge.)

Stokols D and Altman I., (1987), Handbook of Environmental Psychology, Wiely,NewYork Volume 1&2.

Tversky, B., & Lee, P. U. (1999). Pictorial and verbal tools for conveying routes. In C. Freksa & D. M. Mark (Eds.), Spatial information theory: Cognitive and computational foundations of geographic information science (pp. 51-64). New York: Springer.

T. Garling & R. G. Golledge (Eds.), Behavior and environment: Psychological and geographical approaches (pp. 298-316). North Holland: Elsevier Science.

Wayfinding/Legibility (e.g. Lynch, Kevin, Good City Form, MIT Press, Cambridge MA, Passini, R (1992). Wayfinding in Architecture. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company).

Whyte, William, City Rediscovering the Center 366 p (1988)

Images

Front Cover - Printed on an external Billboard opposite the New Palace Theatre

Image 1 - Image composed by Author

Image 2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Union_Street_before_World_War_II.jpg

Image 3 - Image photographed by Author

Image 4 - Image photographed by Author

Image 5 - Image composed by Author

Image - Image composed by Author

Image 3 - https://maps.google.co.uk

Image 4 - Video still by Author

19

Image 5 - https://maps.google.co.uk

Image 6 - Video still by Author

Image 7 - https://maps.google.co.uk

Image 8 - Video still by Author

Image 9 - Space syntax model of Union Street, base image supplied by Jason Skelton - modified and added to by Author