Infrastructure?? I hardly know her!

 Our quest for this week was to observe and discuss our observations of infrastrucutre. Let's dive in....

1. Pedestrian Streets. There are many corridors in Copenhagen that prohibit car access. Many of them used to be paved with asphalt for easy uninterupted car use but the city decided to make car driving harder than cycling, walking, and using transit. Thus they closed off many streets to cars. If a car wants to get from point A to point B it will take it 2-3 times as long because they have to make 5 turns to go in a straight line. If a pedestrian wishes to make the same trip, they can walk in a more straight line. This intervention is incredibly simple and inexpensive. All it takes is a couple of bollards at the ends of a corridor to block it off from car access. 

2. Bike Intersections. There are very few two-way bikeways in Copenhagen. The Danish have found that wide bike lanes on either side of the street are easier to navigate as a whole system because passing people and making turns is much easier. This intersection is a merging of a large two-way bikeway through a park into the rest of the system. I stood here and observed countless smooth transitions from the bikeway into the normal bike lane grid. When I made the transition, the arrows were really helpful in understanding where I was supposed to be. 

3. In the freetown of Christiania, there are no cars at all. The whole island is really only accessible by bike and walking. Some of the streets are paved while others resemble trails. These trails allow more freedom for the growth of trees and other plants. I can imagine that Christiania is one of the most permeable neighborhoods in Demmark. 

4. Unique Bollards. Often in Copenhagen, I found bollards blocking off public spaces from car access. These ones were spheres while others were benches, planter boxes, boulders, public art, etc... Everywhere, the bollards are passable by bikes and peds but not mopeds or cars. Simple and effective for indicating public spaces.

Honorable Mentions:

Semi permeable parking pavement.... nice try but parking still induces car travel and car dependence. This space could be used for a fully permeable park or something else that is better for society.

Public art protesting the plans to build a parking lot under this plaza in the town center near Christianborg Palace. The city has an ambitious plan to eliminate cars completely from this area by 2030 but is still planning to build this parking lot...?

I've talked about it a couple of times but still... god bless this metro system. Easy to use, cheap, drop me anywhere in the city or outside it, I can get to where I need to go with no stress and in no time.