Reclaiming streets to pedestrians and cyclists in the Bund area, in Huangpu district, Shanghai

Abstract: This paper is about the importance of a sustainable travel mode like walking and bicycling instead of car oriented traveling. As the urban population is growing and more people can afford the “dream” of a car - it puts a high prize on the cities as in means of safety, pollution, exclusion and unpleasantness. Research has shown that rapidly developing countries with the sudden car and motorbike invasion face all these problems. Research anticipates that if nothing changes these problems will only increase. The aim was to investigate how to make the streets easies, more pleasant and safer to walk and who should have the priority. The method used was a thematic literature review and similar metropolitan case examples and a on field qualitative and quantitative case study. A case study dealing with this issue was conducted in part of Huangpu district, Shanghai, China. A questionnaire was part of the case study to get some inside in the inhabitant thoughts. While on field studies examined the streets by the use, distribution and variety of obstacles. Numbers of people versus cars using the streets were counted and analysed. It was found that too little space with too many obstacles was given to the pedestrians. Bicycling was unpleasant and unsafe and bigger roads only invite more cars. Based on the findings a new proposal for the area was created. That included that a street was changed into a pedestrian street and new bicycle lanes were put on all the streets. The sidewalks were widened and more trees planted, to provide a safer and more comfortable walking. Although the new proposal covers a small area the design principles can be used for expansion.