everyone drives, nobody moves
Near-Future Mobility: From Moving Cars to Moving People
Conceptual Approach
A bad traffic jam. Circling the block for a parking spot. Rushing to cross the busy streets. For the residents of Charlestown, this is no uncommon occurrence. Over the last century, automobiles have entirely changed the way society moves and lives. From over 70% of the population owning a vehicle, even higher commute rates, and over 100 parking regulations, cars run Charlestown. Then what is the car-less future of Charlestown?
It might not be as car-less as you might think. Everyone Drives, Nobody Moves explores the future phenomena of disappearing personal vehicles. With the emergence of ride share services, electric vehicles, or simply walking, the culture of the daily commuter leads to pioneer landscapes that re-imagines the city no longer designed around the driver but as service to the needs of the occupants. This project proposes the restructure of Charlestown through new typologies of resilient neighborhoods to reclaim spaces for the community and reshape the system that centers the culture of transportation.
Site: Charlestown, MA
Academic Year: 2023
FROM OCCUPANTS TO USERS:
People occupy Charlestown but don’t use it. Communication and transport re-imagined, with cities no longer designed around the driver but designed to serve the needs and comfort of the occupants, who are now users of the streets rather than vehicles
to what we share
future streetscape
The space that parking lots now give is an opportunity for parks and green ways to emerge within the pedestrian streets and alleys. The slopes of Charlestown make many smaller streets suitable for pockets of green space that aid in storm-water management and give the community a chance to see streets as destinations and not just passing.
The invisible barrier of streets isn’t solely the cars passing, but the sidewalk. We’ve associated a 4 inch curb as what stands between safety and danger, feeling vulnerable and wrong to even stand on the asphalt. Redesign streets that welcome and honor pedestrians, not make them feel like second- or third-Pearl Street: Skate-park Alley class citizens on the roadway hierarchy
value of the street
Instead of the multi-lane intersections and smoggy, unshaded lots of today, where people are constantly moving out of Charlestown to reach a destination, we can start to reimagine Charlestown as that destination.
