Initiative/Project:
Cities X Citizens

Researcher:
Dr. Silvano De la Llata, Associate Professor, Geography, Planning and Environment (Concordia University)

Judy Chen, Ph.D. Candidate; Geography, Planning and Environment (Concordia University)

Bruno Mendonca, Ph.D. Candidate; Geography, Planning and Environment (Concordia University)

Description:
This project addresses the problem of urban fragmentation created by railroads and proposes urban revitalization by (1) developing a fragmentation assessment methodology for cities and (2) by developing sustainable urban design guidelines to reconnect otherwise fragmented neighbourhoods. The project concentrates on the study of fragmentation vis-à-vis walkability, as they are urban conditions in juxtaposition. Transportation infrastructure has for the most part degraded the pedestrian environment and destroyed the “intimate scale and transparency” of streets (Forsyth, 2008). This is particularly evident in fragmentation created by the railway system. Railroads interrupt neighbourhood-scale dynamics and deteriorate the overall urban experience. They force pedestrians and cyclists to travel proportionally long distances to otherwise nearby places along insecure and unpleasant paths. The noise, the lack of consideration of human scale and safety, and the poor urban legibility (Lynch, 1960) created by mismatching aesthetics found in and around railroads discourages walkability– especially for people with disabilities and reduced mobility. The objective of this project is to develop a fragmentation assessment methodology as well as a toolbox of sustainable design guidelines that have the potential to be scalable to be applied to similar cases in other Canadian and North American Cities. These methods are to be tested in a pilot project that is representative of the tensions between fragmentation and walkability.

Keywords:
sustainable urban design - public spaces - interstitial spaces - community engagement - green infrastructure - urban integration - walkability - accessibility - urban fragmentation