Play the street life

Streets are crucial to urban life. They connect people, enable transportation, and drive economic activity. Beyond their practical function, streets shape the character of our cities and how we interact within them. But although each city is unique, not all are created equal. The way we design has a profound impact on our quality of life, our health, and our environment. At the heart of the enigma; some cities are designed for people, while others are designed for cars.

How streets make you feel

Let’s start with the good. When designed correctly, streetscapes are dynamic canvases that reflect the people that walk them. Barcelona has great examples of well-designed streetscapes, with its famous grid layout, wide avenues, and octagonal city blocks allowing for efficient traffic flow. More importantly, they leave ample open space for pedestrian movements.

The city promotes sustainable mobility through an efficient public transportation network and robust bicycle infrastructure. It’s well-known that Catalans cherish Barcelona’s public spaces, like Plaça Catalunya and La Rambla, which have become hives for social gatherings, a thriving marketplace and enriching street performances, all while preserving historical and cultural heritage in harmony with modern development. This wasn’t the result of serendipity or organic evolution. Barcelona’s streets are the result of careful urban planning, a clear focus on sustainability, pedestrian-friendly initiatives and a commitment to preservation. Well-planned and designed streets don’t only improve travel times, footfall for business, improve mental and physical health, but can also establish a buzz that urban areas crave.

What happens when you get streetscapes horribly wrong?

Manchester already shares some of Barcelona’s virtues, with places like the Northern Quarter representing the very best of our Mancunian spirit — old and new. The area now also stands out as a predominantly pedestrianised zone.

However, for a long time, Manchester and Greater Manchester’s ‘walkability’ has faced multiple challenges, including heavy traffic congestion causing noise and safety concerns. Our city centre’s shortage of green spaces and parks leaves few options for a relaxing walk, while certain areas (e.g., Piccadilly Gardens Bus Station), prioritise vehicle traffic over pedestrians. Good pedestrian infrastructure can’t be understated, especially with potential new legislation such as the Clean Air Bill (Ella’s Law) pushing to create a new minimum standard for development in a bid to reduce and protect pedestrians from vehicle pollution.

So what might the future hold?

A ‘super’ approach

As highlighted in a recent article in the Guardian, research by Dr Haneen Khreis from the University of Cambridge reports there’s been a 6–9% reduction in traffic pollution in and around low traffic neighbourhoods in London as a result of low emission zone (LEZ) schemes. First published in the Lancet Respiratory Magazine, the research also highlights that this could extend as high as 25% as highlighted in Barcelona’s ‘superblocks’ scheme, where accessibility and pedestrians are prioritised over cars.

The ‘superilla’ (superblock in Catalan) concept deployed in Barcelona revolves around aims to recover space for the community, improve biodiversity, move towards sustainable mobility, and encourage social cohesion. Rethinking the city through new ways of grouping, based on traditional blocks, fosters greater social interaction and filled Barcelona’s streets with life. Organised as 400m x 400m units that are bigger than a ‘block’ but smaller than a whole sprawling neighbourhood, the urban design redistributes public areas between vehicles and people through the specialisation of streets. The cluster of inner-minor streets (green streets) within the superblocks are closed to through-traffic and frees them up for other functions, such as recreation and relaxation, which led to a major increase in greenspace within the city.

The map below highlights the green space across Barcelona before/after implementing the superblocks:

Figure 1: Green Space before and after Superblock implementation

Source: citiesforum.org

As the image evidences, prioritising pedestrians will encourage the development of green spaces, which Manchester desperately needs — within ‘Section 6: Amenity green space’ of Manchester City Council’s Core Strategy Evidence Assessment, nearly 70% of survey respondents indicated that provision is insufficient within our city centre.

Prioritising cyclists and pedestrians across Greater Manchester

I’m hopeful that more green space will be provided in the coming years, with projects such as the Piccadilly Gardens Redevelopment potentially creating unique pedestrianised destinations. As a step further, akin to the re-development of St Peters Square, relocating the bus station in Piccadilly Gardens would open more space, whilst still allowing those essential Metrolink movements. On the horizon, Ancoats Mobility Hub represents a modern solution in response to urban density, last-mile logistics, and a car-sick culture — the scheme is aiming to deliver 150 secure bike parking spaces, changing facilities, 102 electric vehicle charging points and approximately 14747  sq ft. of new public realm, connected to Ancoats Green.

Lending from Barcelona’s superblocks, it’ll provide the densifying neighbourhood in Ancoats with compact, pedestrianised zones that connect to the wider ‘Bee Network’ by championing active travel improvements and green space. The continued commitment to enhancing walkability and urban regeneration promises to create more inviting, pedestrian-focused spaces in and around the city while also contributing to a more sustainable and liveable environment for all. Another example is the proposed delivery of 100 affordable, Passivhaus homes on Peru Street, Salford, which benefitted from transport planning advice from our team.

The intent is to transform Peru Street into a more pedestrianised highway by removing car access from Adelphi Street with a proposed modal filter, and link to proposed new cycle lanes, which will tie in with our Bee Network and the umbrella Salford Crescent Masterplan to provide the most comprehensive active travel network in Britain, covering 1,800 miles. It will also connect to the proposed ‘Green Transport Corridor’ which is aiming to de-engineer the A6, connecting the green spaces surrounding Peel Park into a cohesive and safe route for pedestrians and cyclists.

Projects like these are all part of our journey towards functional streetscapes, reflecting the ever-changing dynamics of what it means to live and grow in the city.