Pavements and other mishaps.
The adventurous life of a pedestrian.
A humorous look at mishaps and misfortunes that show potential for improvement for pedestrians. The street, the public space, should once again be understood and designed as a space for movement for all.
From 20 – 23 October 2015, the pedestrian conference WALK21 with the motto »stepping ahead« took place in Vienna. 700 participants, most of them international, were expected.
The idea for a calendar with cartoons/illustrations about walking was selected as a contribution to the conference in the Pecha Kucha format. The aim was to present the calendar (in English) as “unfinished” with residual options for co-design in order to attract possible further partners.
Conference submission
What for could pedestrians use a machete and how feels innercity islandhopping? A caricature calendar as impuls to public space!
Lamp posts, street signs, switch cabinets and advertising columns – thicket as far as the eye can see. Carrying groceries, pushing a buggy or pulling luggage on foot often feels like wandering through an obstacle course. Therefore the wish for a machete occurs quickly – to clear a path through the thicket of the city.
The lanes on the streets designated for cars often resemble an almost insurmountable stream. A stream exhausting to overcome, it often needs more than one intermediate step on traffic islands. Islandhopping, just without the holiday feeling.
With the help of oversubscription as caricatures even huge deficits can be perceived open-minded. Humor has a relaxing effect, opens peopleʻs minds up for flexible thinking.
Out of all that originated the idea of creating a caricature calendar showing the nuisances and deficits for pedestrians in public spaces in cities.
Public space is a result of a lot of parallel processes on many levels, which are not necessarily connected. The huge number of involved players and stakeholders asks for a comprehensive sensitisation on the topic and an impulse to think out of the box. The caricature calendar – placed on the desk or at the wall is visible everyday and therefore the tool to reach that goal – creating a more attractive and inviting public space for pedestrians together.
Cooperation
In Cooperation with Steffi Sobotka – elfinger.