Cars have taken over our neighbourhoods. Kid-friendly superblocks are a way for residents to reclaim their streets

Sun, 16 Oct 2022 03:32:25 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/cars-have-taken-over-our-neighbourhoods-kid-friendly-superblocks-are-a-way-for-residents-to-reclaim-their-streets-187276>

"You might remember your time as a child playing outdoors with friends and
walking to school. These activities had tremendous benefits for our health and
development.

Today, parents report barriers to letting their kids play, walk and ride in
their neighbourhood. The safety of local streets is a major concern.

One way to boost communities is to create “superblocks for kids”. Pioneered in
cities like Barcelona, a superblock covers several neighbourhood blocks
reserved for shared use by cyclists, walkers and residents who simply want to
use the street space. Superblocks allow low-speed access for residents’ cars,
but exclude through-traffic.

Superblocks have evolved from concepts dating back to the 1970s. Retrofitted
and planned examples of more liveable and safer streets can be found from
Melbourne to Perth, where there are interesting alternative designs in
Willetton and Crestwood.

Transforming neighbourhoods in this way enables us to once again enjoy the
public space right on our doorsteps – the street."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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