Accessibility and Street Layout Exploring spatial equity in

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hood which have been very influential worldwide. As we can observe in the Figure 1, it gives a central location to a community centre and makes clears boundaries for the neighbourhood by urban roads. It also suggests that number of houses must be enough to require an elementary school. More over, it emphasizes that interior streets should “give easy access to shops and community centre”. In Sweden traces of the neighbourhood concept can be found in the post WWII housing projects since 1945 but it was utilized extensively in the 1950s when the Stockholm General Plan was introduced in 1952 (Min 1993) and also particularly in the 1960s the 1970s through the so called ‘one million housings programme’. In Stockholm, Årsta neighbourhood was built in 1940s known as the first experiment of neighbourhood concept. In Årsta, the attention was particularly paid to create a community centre which manifests sociocultural characteristics by accommodating cinema, theatre and ‘Folkets Hus’. Comparing to the later experiences, Årsta exposes a different urban quality where streets function as interfacing elements rather than separating in terms of their relation to housing blocks. In looking for regulations and guidelines for neighbourhood unit design in Sweden, two documents are found to be influential: Stockholm General Plan from 1952 and Housing Environment (‘Bostadens Grannskap’ in Swedish) form 1972. Although The Stockholm general Plan offers some clues to definition of neighbourhood but it is in the Housing Environment where precise guidelines are set out. The Housing Environment which was initially provided for local authorities includes guidelines for Figure 2. Three different methods to mark maximum walking distance between dwellings and public facilities: (a) radius distance, (b) theoritical ditance, (c) actual distance. (Bostadens Grannskap 1972, Min 1993) accessibility, housing density and traffic in neighbourhood. One of the highlighted issues in the document is how pedestrian access is being achieved between houses and public facilities (Min 1993). In this regard, the maximum walking distances be- 12
tween dwellings and certain local facilities such as schools and shops, are set as controlling parameters for accessibility. In terms of access to the local shopping, the Housing Environment guideline includes different ways to measure the maximum walking distance to commercial facilities ranging from a rough approach to a detailed one (Figure 2). The rough method is expressed by the radius of a circle where the public facility is located in the centre of circle. In this method a service radius is suggested for a public service which dwellings within this radius assumed to obtain a proper access. But interestingly, the guideline introduces two other concepts to measure access: the theoretical distance and the actual street distance which can measure more accurately. The theoretical distance approach as depicted in diagram the Figure 2 (b) shows that the maximum walking distance can be outlined by a square if the street layout embodies grid geometry. Yet the guideline realistically points to the actual street distance as a means to ensure accessibility. Though in the guideline, it remains untouched how to do the measurement in that way. Thus, as portrayed here, a proper level of access has been a matter of importance for the housing policies of Sweden. Thus far it was discussed that accessibility hold an important position in the concept of neighbourhood unit. Accordingly it seems fruitful to put effort into comprehending how it can be embedded in design process. Of course It requires clarification of scale, geographical context and time period which will be outlined in the remainder of the study. Returning to the underlying ideas of neighbourhood in the modernist era, accessibility seems to conform to the humanistic and also instrumental concerns which gave rise to the neighbourhood concept. By humanistic I intend to draw attention to the utopian ambitions which sought neighbourhood as a communal setting where the individuals’ equal rights are highly valued. This line of argument links with the domain of spatial justice in the urban theories. On the other hand, the neighbourhood concept is also supported by an instrumental approach which instead of attempting to answer what a neighbourhood is, tries to resolve ‘how’ to build a neighbourhood. This approach voices an aspiration for an urban unit which keeps its humanist aspect but at the same time will be an instrument to create for flexible and open-ended ur- 13
Page 1: Accessibility and Street Layout Exp
Page 5: Abstract This thesis revolves aroun
Page 8 and 9: Preface When I arrived in Stockholm
Page 11: Introduction The present study has
Page 15 and 16: 1. Research Objectives The conceptu
Page 17: other important issue is the relati
Page 20 and 21: - Latent demand can be assessed thr
Page 22 and 23: The third approach measures travel
Page 25 and 26: 3. Methods The purpose of this chap
Page 27 and 28: and interpret those terms that sign
Page 29 and 30: Continuity equates to the number of
Page 31 and 32: identifies objectivity of space ins
Page 33 and 34: affect emergent to and through move
Page 35 and 36: 4. Case Studies This chapter gives
Page 37 and 38: Rinkeby Rinkeby is located in the n
Page 39 and 40: Figures 4.4. Situation of Bredäng
Page 41: Street network in Rågsved is almos
Page 44 and 45: line represents both a space possib
Page 46 and 47: nbyvägen. The remainders of the ro
Page 48 and 49: Place Syntax Analysis of Rinkeby Pl
Page 50 and 51: Bredäng The axial model of Bredän
Page 52 and 53: Figures 5.7. Bredäng route network
Page 54 and 55: tween 248 meters from the communal
Page 56 and 57: most of the lines in blue and green
Page 58 and 59: Place Syntax analysis of Rågsved I
Page 60 and 61: the Table 5.2 a number of basic mea
Page 62 and 63:
connectivity and depth of all route
Page 65 and 66:
6. Discussion So far we have examin
Page 67 and 68:
commonly attributed to tributary ne
Page 69 and 70:
and vehicular routes do not interse
Page 71 and 72:
7. Proposals This chapter presents
Page 73 and 74:
Ribkeby has been made on a smaller
Page 75 and 76:
The Figure 7.3, displays the propos
Page 77 and 78:
where the new street traverses nort
Page 79 and 80:
oaden our view and particularly con
Page 81:
Talen E., Anselin L. (1998) ‘Asse
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Accessibility and Street Layout Exploring spatial equity in

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