K-12 Engineering Education Standards: - International Technology ...

Let students conduct research to determine if any
meaningful studies have been done that propose alternative
ways to avoid pedestrian challenges at street intersections.
A number of small towns around the country have tried to
minimize the impact of automobiles upon their residents
and developed their land accordingly. What can be learned
from this? One such town is located in the Radburg area of
Fairlawn, NJ. This entire section of the town is completely
different in appearance and design. Cars and homes are
purposely kept separate, with lots of walking and open space
between the clusters of homes. Radburn dates back to 1929.
Is there an elevated walkway across a busy highway that citizens
can now use?
From a practical standpoint, could your town afford to have
these elevated walkways at every corner? Is there enough
space at each intersection? How would handicapped citizens
gain access to them? What would it do to local traffic flow
to have to rebuild all the street intersections? In a crowded
downtown district, would it even be possible to make such
major changes?
How about underground passages beneath each intersection?
Folks would just walk down a few stairs on one side and up
a few stairs on the other side, and traffic would never bother
them at all. Sure there are lots of underground facilities such
as pipes and electric cables and communications lines, but
couldn’t they be moved a little deeper to allow for folks to
pass above them? This might be an interesting challenge
for older cities with dense population centers. Would the
underground route be less expensive or more expensive than
the elevated walkway option?
How about underground passages beneath each intersection?
Planned community, Reston, VA, offers its residents plenty of
alternatives to driving.
Other U.S. planned communities such as Columbia, MD
and Reston, VA may offer some insight into minimizing
automobile-human being interactions. Another city that
might be looked at is the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore,
which has a network of elevated walkways for access to
tourist, business, and hotel destinations.
Other sources of information for understanding this
problem may be garnered from:
• Local town planning and engineering departments
• Land use consultants and designers
• Traffic and automotive experts and consultants
• Architectural firms specializing in urban/town design
• Roadway engineering firms
• Highway planners
19 • Technology and Engineering Teacher • February 2011