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| This brilliant illustration shows how much public space we've surrendered to cars. Image: Karl Jilg/Swedish Road Administration |
KEY FEATURES OF NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE VIBRANT AND ALIVE:
- The core of the neighborhood is a beautiful place which has been chosen for its inspiring character when you stand there.
- The heart of the neighborhood and 2/3 of its land surface, is a pedestrian world.
- Traffic interacts and comes in, only to the degree absolutely necessary: cars are not much in evidence.
- Density is sometimes as high as can be reached by high-rise apartments, but all buildings are two and three stories high.
- There are gardens everywhere — the space of the neighborhood is made of positively shaped gardens, public and private.
- Buildings are rather simple, but always personal, with aspects that identify them by the people who made them.
- Work is intermixed with living quarters: this applies both to small workshops and to larger offices or studio space.
- Roads for cars are narrow and discourage speed.
- Towards the outside of the neighborhood, there may be roads which carry faster traffic around town.
- Windows are beautiful and large.
- Houses are long and narrow, so that every room has good light.
- All entrances to apartments come direct to the ground, never to shared corridors.
- Some outdoor areas are furnished — seats, low walls, tables — and partly enclosed. There are cafes, shops and other amenities nearby.
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