{"id":2031,"date":"2025-07-03T10:53:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T10:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hundipea.ee\/?p=2031"},"modified":"2025-07-04T08:40:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T08:40:19","slug":"human-centred-streets-the-vehicle-is-just-one-link-in-the-chain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hundipea.ee\/en\/human-centred-streets-the-vehicle-is-just-one-link-in-the-chain\/","title":{"rendered":"Human-centred streets: The vehicle is just one link in the chain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Streets aren\u2019t just paved space between buildings \u2013 they\u2019re part of the living environment, shaping how we move and how we feel. Our daily journeys often begin at the edge of the neighbourhood. If we want streets to feel like an extension of home, we have to ask: how are they created, and for whom? Architect and urban planner Darina Nossova shares the principles behind street design at Hundipea.
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Who are the streets for?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we talk about street users, the image is often a driver or an office worker,\u201d says Darina. \u201cBut the reality is far more diverse \u2013 children, elderly, people with mobility or visual impairments, parents with strollers, someone with a broken leg… We need to design with the full range of human needs in mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even small design details can make a difference. In a previous conversation<\/a>, Maikel M\u00f5ttus from the Estonian Chamber of Disabled People pointed out how a high curb, a heavy door, or a locked public toilet can limit access. \u201cThe job of street design is to remove those barriers,\u201d Darina adds.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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She outlines some of the users and needs to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Wheelchair users and people with mobility aids who need gentle slopes and wide pathways.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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    • People with visual impairments who rely on tactile cues, like textured tiles near stairs or crossings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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      • People with hearing loss benefit from visual contrast and clear signage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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        • Children and older adults who need safe crossings, slower traffic, and space to rest.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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          • Parents with strollers and people with mobility issues, who need step-free access and reliable connections to public transport.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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            • People on bikes who need a clear, connected network: wide lanes in both directions or shared low-traffic streets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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              • Dog walkers, skaters, scooter riders, runners, and walkers, all with different speeds and needs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                • Public transport which requires dedicated lanes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
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                  • Cars, which still need space, but not at the expense of everyone else.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

                    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n

                    Designing for freedom of movement<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                    \u201cGetting from A to B isn\u2019t just about transport,\u201d says Darina. \u201cIt\u2019s a chain where every link \u2013 people, mode of movement, and reason for travel \u2013 matters. Our job is to make sure nothing breaks that chain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Hundipea follows a mobility hierarchy: pedestrians first, then cyclists, then public transport, and only after that, cars.
                    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

                    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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                    \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean cars are excluded,\u201d she notes. \u201cBut planning has to start from the human scale, not the vehicle scale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Often, space for cars is overestimated: \u201cYou\u2019ll see oversized lanes, wide intersections, turning pockets that aren\u2019t actually needed. These encourage higher speeds and make streets less safe and inviting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    For other users to feel safe \u2013 pedestrians, cyclists, parents with strollers \u2013 car space must be used carefully, with narrower lanes and smaller turning radius. \u201cYou can calm traffic through design: S-curves, raised crossings, or cobbled areas work better than just speed limit signs.\u201d

                    Darina offers a concrete example from the Ristiku\u2013H\u00e4rjapea intersection (A \u2013 current situation, B \u2013 possible improvement):
                    \u201cOn the suggested solution, we reduced the corner radius to 1.5 metres. This allowed us to move the crosswalks closer to the intersection, making the junction more compact. The result: it\u2019s more convenient for pedestrians and their routes are more logical. Drivers are forced to slow down when turning. The compact intersection also eliminates a hazardous blind spot \u2013 now all crossing points and pedestrians are visible to drivers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

                    As with other things at Hundipea, solutions are tested before being built. \u201cWe prototype ideas before rolling them out. That lets us see what works and adjust as needed,\u201d Darina explains. \u201cWe also invite citizens and professionals to give feedback. Every street will have a role in the bigger picture, whether that\u2019s a promenade, a quiet residential lane, or a main connection route.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    In an upcoming post, we\u2019ll talk more about what makes a good sidewalk.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

                    \n

                    Designing the full picture<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                    Hundipea\u2019s scale and long time horizon make it possible to design the whole 41-hectare area as a whole, not plan just streets or plots. It’s also an opportunity to test, learn, and improve along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \u201cWe follow the 15-minute city principle: everything for daily life \u2013 parks, schools, playgrounds, grocery stores, public transport \u2013 should be easily reachable on foot or by bike. If people can move logically, pause, rest, and enjoy their surroundings, they\u2019ll feel a sense of ownership and comfort in the space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    Good urban space doesn\u2019t happen by accident. \u201cThe street design has to fit in the overall pattern \u2013 something people can intuitively \u2018read\u2019 when taking a morning walk, riding a bicycle, or pausing for a break,\u201d Darina says. A well-designed street works for different users and modes of transport, smoothly and without conflict.
                    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

                    \"hundipea-tanavadisain-illustratsioon\"
                    Illustration of street design at Hundipea (work in progress)<\/sub><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
                    \n

                    Designing for the users<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

                    \u201cWhen we talk about the user, we don\u2019t just mean the pedestrian, cyclist, or parent with a stroller,\u201d says Darina. \u201cWe also mean the bird, the tree, the rainwater \u2013 everything that moves through or is affected by the urban environment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    This broader understanding is core to how the streets at Hundipea are designed. \u201cA good street or park is like a good product \u2013 it\u2019s designed with intention, tested in real life, and built to support everyday life, natural processes, and living together with other species.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

                    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                    Streets aren\u2019t just paved space between buildings \u2013 they\u2019re part of the living environment, shaping how we move and how we feel. Our daily journeys often begin at the edge of the neighbourhood. If we want streets to feel like an extension of home, we have to ask: how are they created, and for whom? Architect and urban planner Darina Nossova shares the principles behind street design at Hundipea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2017,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hundipea.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hundipea.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hundipea.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hundipea.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hundipea.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2031"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/hundipea.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2049,"href":"https:\/\/hundipea.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031\/revisions\/2049"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hundipea.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hundipea.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hundipea.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hundipea.ee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}