How constraints can make urban mobility easier
César Torres
Senior Project Manager
1 March 2021
I learned from Professor Jorquera’s exceptional approach to teaching almost everything I know about the relationship between structural form and forces. Finding an efficient form for a bridge is potentially an endless iterative process. However, constraints such as topography, the loads our bridge will resist, the ecological and built environments and, especially, construction will have a significant contribution towards identifying the most compatible options with the specific context of the bridge.
I know from my love of music that something similar transpires. The soundtrack of a movie is not the result of its composer’s random inspiration. On the contrary, it is subject to a brief where the requirements the composer will be working with are set out.
Howard Shore, composer of the Lord of The Rings scores, created a theme made up of nine notes representing the nine characters integrating the Fellowship of the Ring. Gollum’s theme is based on motifs identified with the Hobbits but built over Mordor’s chords, illustrating the corruptive power of the Ring.
The composer uses things like nostalgia or heroism as his constraints. Mixing his knowledge of music theory and the western perception of sound, Howard Shore has created the boundaries of a soundtrack that was essential for the success of this iconic trilogy – and led to him winning multiple Academy Awards for his work.
The importance of constraints in developing a set of mobility proposals in an urban environment is not different. A large number of these can be a decisive factor in finding solutions that are effective. I will explain this using the case of the Spanish city of Toledo, my hometown.
Toledo is located at a 25-minute train ride south of Madrid and has a population of over 85,000 people according to the Spanish Institute of Statistics. The Council has now embarked on the production of their Sustainable Mobility Plan.
The city presents three distinctive features leading to a number of constraints in terms of urban mobility. Although they may seem like significant challenges when considering the Council’s plans these features actually present excellent opportunities as outlined below. First, Toledo is a polynuclear city. It is made up of eight non-adjacent urban areas with limited connectivity between them, mainly based on the use of the private car.
The second feature is a differentiated Old Town, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1986. The economic activity, specialised in leisure and tourism, concentrates in the High Street, generating significant congestion issues in a very limited space. Consequently, other streets in the Old Town remain empty and abandoned to passing motorised traffic, with little attractiveness and potentially unsafe.
Finally, the presence of major trip generators, as shown on the map below, contributes to structure movement in the city along two main corridors, East-West and North-South. The two main shopping centres and the railway and bus stations are key to the understanding of movement patterns in a city the size of Toledo. These corridors also incorporate the movement from other smaller towns into the city, reflecting the strong linkages between Toledo and its surrounding region.
Constraint:
POLYNUCLEAR CITY
Description:
Non-adjacent urban areas
Limited connectivity between them
Based on the use of the private car
Opportunities:
Each urban area should aspire to the concept of low traffic neighbourhoods (LTN) where pedestrian movement is prioritised. A reduction in the volume and speed of motorised traffic would enhance social interactions and physical activities.
Reviewing motorised traffic within these urban areas should be a priority. By placing main road crossings strategically, people would be able to walk or cycle easily across several of these neighbourhoods. This would facilitate walking and cycling trips from home to school, or work, or the bus and train stations.
Constraint:
MOVEMENT CORRIDORS
Description:
Existing road infrastructure favours the use of the private car
Pedestrian routes to trip generators are limited and discontinuous
Incorporate movement from surrounding towns into the city
Opportunities:
The implementation of public transit in the corridors based on segregated or prioritised bus lanes would further enhance the links between different neighbourhoods. If carefully planned, this could even have a deterrent effect on the use of the private car.
The agglomeration of the economic activity and the existing infrastructure favour the creation of distribution centres. These would enable last-mile deliveries using sustainable modes compatible with the movement between and within LTNs.
The linkages between Toledo and its surrounding towns would dictate the creation of a regional deal. Among other development objectives, the deal should explore consolidating public transport services between Toledo and its wider region.
Constraint:
OLD TOWN
Description:
Specialisation in leisure and tourism
Congestion of the High Street
Empty streets potentially unsafe and little attractive
World Heritage Site
Opportunities:
The Old Town can and must be lived on foot. Its narrow streets and alleys must be visited, explored and enjoyed by pedestrians without the hassle of passing traffic.
Consideration should be given then to reducing or even removing all surface parking in the Old Town. Limiting motorised access through modal filters at key points would also contribute to creating higher quality public spaces.
Goods deliveries into the Old Town, subject to limited hours, should build on the distribution centres and last-mile deliveries mentioned above.
In my career I have come across some with a limiting mindset, where constraints are mistaken for complexities or even problems. However, I would rather think of them as opportunities to embrace the project environment. It would have taken some iterations thinking of public transit for Toledo if the movement corridors were not that clearly defined; or a fully pedestrianised Old Town would not have been prescribed if it were not a World Heritage Site worth exploring and spending time at.
In conclusion, constraints help channel efforts in the development of solutions. This is applicable not only to projects but to any design, planning or creative process. So I urge you to work with everything you have and see constraints as opportunities that guide you to the right solution.
