METROPOLITAN SPACE LABORATORY
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The Effects of Traffic and Mobility:
An increase in traffic and mobility changes a city or an urban region just as much as urban planning does. Influencing future development is, however, a dynamic process. If traffic increases during a certain time of day, for example during rush hour, then that causes a change in development potential. Development potential is a way to measure how economical specific functions are. That means that while economic success decreases at one location, it increases at the one to which development potential has shifted. If an increase in vehicle owners causes a general increase in traffic, then development potential can permanently shift. |
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The effects that increasing and decreasing traffic have on a city can clearly be seen in the
Simulation of the city Frauenfeld.
This simulation was developed as part of a thesis for the technical college in Rapperswil. The two situations in Figure 1 and Figure 2 differ depending on whether project F21 was used. Project F21 is a beltway that has been entered in Figure 2. Figure 1 alternately shows how, during normal traffic, development potential is concentrated in the city center, and how, during excessive traffic, development potential shifts both east and west of the city center. Figure 2 shows the situation with the addition of the beltway or project F21, which has already caused development potential to shift north. In this situation, during normal traffic, development potential will be concentrated north of the center and, during excessive traffic, in one direction, to the east. The shifting of development potential through the increase and decrease in traffic has concrete consequences for the conduct of this city and its residents. The person who returns home before or after rush hour will settle in the center or, in the future, north of the center. The person who comes home during rush hour will not settle in the center but east or west of it, and after the completion of F21, only west of the city as can be seen in Figure 2. The second group that comes home during rush hour typically defines itself as commuter traffic. These areas that are settled by the second group must then, in the future, be developed so that the needs of the commuters are met.
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Figure 1: Simulation Frauenfeld befor project F21 was used
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| The following example shows how the modification of speed limits can change the distribution of functions and, thereby, the conduct of a city. The experiment is simulated using normal traffic conditions. Figure 3 shows an urban situation where the maximum speed limit in all streets is 50 km/h, apart from certain districts. The strongest development potential is concentrated in the city center. In this situation, the maximum speed in the streets in the city center was limited to 30 km/h. This project is shown in Figure 4. Inside the red circle, the maximum speed for all streets marked in yellow has been decreased from 50 km/h to 30 km/h. Figure 5 shows how implementing this project influences and effects the city’s future development. This speed limitation shifts the development potential out of the city center. Additional urban measures could strengthen these effects. The future distribution of functions and the conduct of the city will change. Functions that rely on economic income will try to follow the development potential. If this is not possible due to a lack of building fabric, then these functions will be forced to leave the city. In order to keep these functions, the city will in future have to cultivate the appropriate development potential. However, the center itself will inevitably be threatened if previously existing functions move away. But that doesn’t have to mean that the center of this city is therefore lost. Other data can be emphasized, making the center attractive for other functions. But if nothing additional is undertaken, the shift in development potential will cause the city to lose out economically. In order for this city to, in future, be able to economically sustain itself, it has to be able to change. |
Figure 3: general speed 50 km/h
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| author: Aurelius Bernet |
Figure 2: Simulation Frauenfeld project F21 used
Figure 4: streets marked in yellow 30 km/h
Figure 5: influences and effects of the speed limit