nova terra special [february 2007] on the eu supported project 'connected cities

8/14/2019 Nova Terra Special [February 2007] on the EU supported project 'Connected Cities'

1/36

nova terra on the eu supported project connected cities / february 2007

3 editorial cohesion

6 connected edges

11 space and line

17 high speed investments

22 tramways in france born again for urbanism

27 towards a new mobility concept for cities

32 covilh: mobility in a mountain town


2/36


3/36


4/36


5/36


6/36


7/36


8/36


9/36


10/36


11/36


12/36


13/36


14/36

NovaTerra Connected Cities / february 2007 / 14

The South Wing Network scenario

In this scenario the metropolis is not defined as a single urban

planning concept, but as a coherent programmatic whole. The

scenario offers maximum diversity of services and locations within

given temporal and spatial constraints. The quality of the location isbased on accessibility and on the sites designated for housing,

recreation and employment. The main goal within this scenario is

the formation of networks.

The Sustainability scenario

The aim of this scenario is sustainable development. Great value is

placed on the potentialities for densification in existing urban areas,

for mixed-use, and hence more sustai nable, development, and

which preserve the typical landscape. These potentialities support

densification only where it will generate passengers for public

transport and not in places where it is also likely to generate a good

deal of vehicular traffic.

The outcomes of the modelled scenarios show that in all scenarios

the quantitative goals for new housing and employment uses aremet. In the Densification scenario the amount of new housing in

dense urban environments goes far beyond the projected market

demand. This scenario also demonstrates that when densification

is the prime goal it leads to the development of a one-sided offer

of working environments. The South Wing Network scenario delivers

a lower volume of development in terms of square metres of floor

space, but a broad variety of both housing and employment

environments. It also makes the biggest contribution towards the

development of an emerging regional transport network. However,

the high proportion of development with supraregional functions will

@75> ;&((!2$8

@75B I$$+6$).

@75A J!&,!'#K$$+,#L#M!+!'N&4O

?75H -"11!'6!&8

>75@ J!&,!'

>75? J!&,!'#,!#M$+1

>75> J!&,!'#,!#I&'O

>75P I$$+1*6$.!'

>75B J!&,1*6!',"8#K$$+,

>75Q G!'#;""2#M"+&"6$!9!

>75A G!'#;""2#J""'#9"'#KRC

H75@ G!'#;""2#;-

H75> G!'#;""2#M$!+N&4O

H75H S&41N&4O

H75P T.#;""'.4!

H75Q G!(%.

H75U G!(%.#D)&,

H7@5 -*6&!,"8#V!.6!(

H7@@ -*6&!,"8#W!'.+)8

H7@? -3"'2!'

P75@ S$..!+,"8#W!'.+""(

P75? S$..!+,"8#E(""O

P75> S$..!+,"8#D)&,

P75P S$..!+,"8#-.",&$'

Leiden de Mo

Leiden Noord / Merenwijk

LeidenCent

DeVink

Spaland

DelftZui

Rotterdam

Spangen

RotterdamCentraal

Rotterdam Blaak

Rotterdam

amCentrum

Plans for the 47 station areas involved in Stedenbaan.


15/36


16/36


17/36


18/36


19/36


20/36


21/36


22/36


Sophie Labbouz, City of Paris Engineering School (EIVP)

Youssef Diab, University of Marne-la-Valle (UMLV), France

Photos: Sophie Labbouz (unless indicated otherwise)

The first tramway in France was built in the Loire department in 1837

and was 15 km long . In 1853, a line called the American railway was

built for the u niversal exhibition in Par is. Trams were subsequently

introduced into many French and European cities because they were

faster and more comfortable than the omnibus. Trams really took off

once animal traction was replaced by electrical traction in the 1880s

and running costs decreased. The numbers of lines and passengers

multiplied rapidly: trams became the main form of urban transport,

with 71 lines in Marseille, 38 in Bordeaux, 26 in Toulouse and 286 km

of railway scattered in the city of Lyon and its suburbs.

Trams are making a comeback in French towns to combat the stranglehold of the car and the

pollution it causes. Tramways are enjoying increasing recognition not only in France, but also

throughout Europe and the world because of their environmental benefits and their potential

for providing a backbone for urbanism.

A tramway in Paris, quai d

Louvre, 1916.

Tramways in France born again for urbanism


23/36


24/36


For example, the street furniture, tramway and stops are usually

designed by famous architects and are specific to the city.

Tramways influence the development of the urban structure and the

urban fabric. By providing rapid links from the suburbs to the town

centre, tramways can open up disadvantaged districts for

development. Shops along the route benefit and real estate values

and rental values increase as well. It is hard to measure the real

impact of the tramway because of the time taken for the

construction and the influence of other developments on these data.

The city is really transformed when once the tram arrives.

bordeaux

The developments in Bordeaux are a good example of the

situation throughout France. In 1946 the tram network consisted of

38 lines and more than 200 km of tracks, but by 1958 all the lines were

closed. After a long deliberation on whether to build a metro or a

tramway network, the city council chose the second option and on

21 December 2003 the tram was operational again in the city.

The modern network has three lines: line A carries 55,000 passengers

each day, line B carries 60,000 per day and line C 20,000 per day.

On average, the tram services account for 53% of Bordeauxs public

transport network frequentation.

The philosophy underlying the network is to increase the value of all

the areas served by building new pavements, roads and urban spaces

Besides the technical requirements, aesthetic quality was the major

consideration in the choice of urban furniture and materials.

Elisabeth de Portzamparcs design is highly specific to the Bordeaux

tramway. Castings, paving stones and granite kerbs were blended

with grass and green elements throughout the layout. The urban

furniture (stations, public seats, bins, etc.) has been created using a

mix of cast iron, glass and wood and is in perfect harmony with the

urban heritage.

Montpellier. (photo: Raymond Linssen, The Hague, the Netherl ands)


25/36


Two improvements deserve a special mention. The first is the

renovation of all the facades along the quays at Garonne. During the

construction of the tramway the city council made the owners of the

buildings the faades, restoring their white colour and giving back

the quays their old charm. The second is a technical innovation.

To respect the urban heritage and the old buildings near the line, the

architects were asked to find a way to build the tramway without

catenaries. In response, Alstom created the APS system (alimentation

par le sol: ground power supply) in which the trams receive their

power from a third rail embedded in the tracks. No overhead cables

and masts are needed, thus limiting the visual impact of the

tramway.

the t4 tram-train

Between urban centres the tram can also operate like a train

service. The first such example is the T4, which runs in the suburbs of

Paris between Aulnay and Bondy and was opened on 16 November

2006. The original railway line, called Coqueti erss Line, was opened

in 1875 and follows the route of an old walk in the forest of Bondy.

It was closed to all traffic at the end of 2003 to allow construction

of the tram-train line, which is better integrated into the urban

landscape. The link between Aulnay and Bondy will serve nine

intermediate train stations on an 8 km route. The travel time is

19 minutes from end to end, or a commercial speed of 25 km/h.

During the rush hours the trains run at intervals of 4 minutes.

The line is expected to carry 44,000 passengers per day, or 12.4 billion

per year.

Valenciennes. (photo: Raymond Linssen, The Hague, the Neth erlands)

Between urban centresthe tram can also operalike a train service


26/36


27/36


The potential of cybercars

Small autonomous electric vehicles could provide an alternative to the motor car in an emerging new

approach to mobility that tries to offer the same f lexibility as the private car, but with much less nuisance

and environmental impact. Their potential has been investigated in the European CyberCars and

CyberMove projects.

Antonio Cunha and J. Varandas, Laboratory of Automatics and Systems, Pedro Nunes Institute, Portugal

Jorge Dias and Rui Rocha, Institute of Systems and Robotics, University of Coimbra, PortugalStefan van der Spek, Department of Urbanism, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands

Illustrations: Antonio Cunha (unless indicated otherwise)

In many urban environments the use of

private cars causes severe problems of t raffic

congestion, energy consumption (dependency

on oil resources) air and noise pollution and

safety, leading to a general reduction in

quality of life and Making historic city centres

less attractive to both tourists and residents.

Moreover, the problems of many city centres

are compounded by a movement of

businesses to the periphery. Although public

transport systems have recently undergone

many improvements (mostly due to

information technologies), in many cases the

private car still offers a much better service

for the individual. As a consequence, car use is

constantly increasing. All this amounts to a

non-sustainable development of urban

transportation.

The use of private cars causes traffic

congestion in many urban areas.(source: European Community, 2006)

Towards a new mobility

concept for cities


28/36


29/36


30/36


31/36


32/36


Jorge Humberto and Gaspar Gonalves, Universidade da Beira Interior (U BI), Portugal

Frank van der Hoeven, Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Netherlands

Photos: Jorge Humberto and Gaspar Gonalves

The activities of the Connected Cities network include showcaseworkshops. These are based on a give-and-take formula in which a

partner can invite other partners to illustrate an inspiring case study

or present an issue or a problem and ask for advice. The Mobility in

Covilh showcase is a clear example of the latter. Showcases are

prepared in advance. In the case of Covilh the local authority and

the university produced a lengthy paper and a comprehensive

presentation. Both documents provide insights in the main

characteristics of the town and the mobility problems it faces. Low

density mountain town Covilh, founded in 1186, is a large town of

35,000 inhabitants in the eastern midlands of Portugal. The town is

located on one of the hillsides of the highest mountain of continentaPortugal. Around half the population live in Conceio, Santa Maria,

So Martinho and So Pedro, the four central parishes. The urban are

of Covilh has a low population density, only a third of the national

average.

The easiest way to describe Covilh is to divide it into three parts: the

uptown, the downtown and the new town. The uptown includes the

historic centre, old residential buildings, churches and services such

as banks, insurance companies, medical services, shops, the town hal

local government offices, police and fire brigade, the main university

buildings and day care centres. The downtown has the train station,

Steep gradients in Covilh uptown.

Covilh: mobility ina mountain town


33/36


34/36


35/36


36/36

Connected Cities

Connected Cities is about sustainable mobility and

spatial development. As EU-sponsored Interreg IIIC

network it focuses on high quality public transport

and transport development areas, aimed at improving

mobility and quality of life in urban and rural areas.

The network activities will continue until the end of 2007.

European network

Connected Cities brings together twenty-five partners

throughout Europe. The partners in Connected Cities

will share their experiences and insights through

management and coordination, interregional showcase

workshops, dissemination and communication, including

through a guide to good practice.

http://connectedcities.eu

Belgium

European New Town Platform (ENTP)

Ghent University / Architecture and Urban Planning

Bulgaria

Municipality of Kardjali

France

City of Paris Engineering School (EIVP)

Snart Public Local Authority

Germany

Research Association for Underground Transportation

Facilities ( STUVA)

Hamburg-Harburg University of Technology (TUHH)

Greece

Municipal Enterprise of Planning & Development

of Patras (ADEP)

Development Agency of Magnesia S.A. (ANEM)

Municipality of Philippi

Region of Thessaly

University of Thessaly

Italy

Municipality of Ancona

Municipality of Ferrara

Netherlands

Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)

Eindhoven Regional Government Administrative

structure (SRE)

Netherlands Centre for Underground Construction(COB

TNO Environment and Geosciences

Portugal

City Hall of Covilh

Institute Pedro Nunes (IPN)

Spain

Federation of municipalities and provinces of

Castilla-La Mancha (FEMPCLM)

Municipality of Toledo

United Kingdom

Bristol City Council

South East England Development Agency (SEEDA)

Transport for London (TfL)

nova terra special [february 2007] on the eu supported project 'connected cities

Documents