TRANSFORMING STREETS FOR LIVEABILITY AND SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY THROUGH EXPERIMENTATION AND PARTICIPATION – (Hosted within track 17: Public Space)

Organizers

Imre Keserü, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Imge Akcakaya Waite, Istanbul Technical University
Gunnar Grandel, Technische Universität Wien
Lluis Martinez, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Presenters

Imge Akcakaya Waite, Istanbul Technical University
Hilda Tellioglu, Technische Universität Wien
Lluis Martinez, Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Gunnar Grandel, Technische Universität Wien
Bahadir Kesan, Maltepe Municipality
Ciğdem Cakar, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality

Cities are facing numerous challenges regarding sustainable mobility, accessibility and inclusivity, which require rapid transformation of urban environments. However, the implementation of such transformations is often challenging, facing significant political resistance, financial limitations or regulatory obstacles. As a result, there has been a rise of experimental new approaches to enable street transformations in the last decade, such as street experiments, and the use of participatory tools. 

The former can be defined as “an intentional, temporary change of the street use, regulation, and/or form, aimed at exploring systemic change in urban mobility, away from ‘streets for traffic,’ and towards ‘streets for people’“ (Bertolini, 2020, 734). The latter refers to methods and techniques used to actively engage stakeholders, especially local communities, in the planning, decision-making, and implementation process (Sanoff, 1999). And, of course, the two often overlap since most street experiments are designed and carried out through a participatory process. 

This session offers a platform to explore street experiments and participatory tools and understand how they lead to transformative changes. The presentations are based on the outcomes of two ongoing research projects funded by JPI Urban Europe: ACCTRA (Evidence and Acceptance – from Experiments to Transformation) and StreetForum (Transforming streets into accessible urban oases through consensus building). Since 2023, these initiatives have investigated street interventions which target liveability, sustainability, and inclusivity.

Working closely with local administrations in Istanbul and Klagenfurt (Austria), ACCTRA focuses on street experiments as an opportunity to engage stakeholders and generate evidence on both the impact and acceptance of measures. This creates the basis to support political decision-making in favour of street transformations, inform planning processes for permanent implementation or a further roll-out, and foster institutional learning processes to adapt processes and better deal with conflicts over transformations.

StreetForum investigates the potential of participatory tools to facilitate consensus-building within local communities to support street transformation. Through a comprehensive toolkit, the StreetForum project equips communities with digital and analogue tools—such as co-design games, storytelling, modular structures and art interventions—to support street transformations. The tools have been tested and assessed in living labs in Istanbul, Brussels, Vienna, and Stockholm based on a robust evaluation framework. The project highlights how these tools can be effectively employed to foster public support for street transformation.

This session will provide attendees with:

• Results of the activities in the ACCTRA project and insights into how street experiments can inform sustainable transport planning and foster public acceptance.
• Insights into the development and impact of the StreetForum Toolkit, with recommendations on how to best use these participatory tools in diverse urban contexts.
• Testimonials of policymakers on the use of street experiments and participatory tools for street transformation.
• Interactive discussions on the benefits and challenges of using street experiments and participatory tools for street transformation.

References: Bertolini, L. (2020). From "streets for traffic" to "streets for people": Can street experiments transform urban mobility? Transport Reviews, 40(6), 734-753. 

Sanoff, H. (1999). Community Participation Methods in Design and Planning. John Wiley & Sons.