AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.06.2005, Blaðsíða 35

Copenhagen it costs money to park everywhere,
without exception, which has become expensive.
With the introduction of modern controi and payment
methods and a consequent pricing policy where prices
increase when there is a reason for it, one can come a
long way. In Copenhagen the net income from parking
is more than 15 mil euros annually. Euro a year - and
you can also almost always find a parking space.
5. Better public transport.
I only had the opportunity to gain a very superficial
impression of public transport in the capital area. But
if the aim is that the desirable increase in activities
in the city should not lead to more car traffic then
one has to improve the public transport system, with
clean buses, covered bus stops, attractive exchange
stations, and above all, quicker service. The latter
can be achieved by separate bus lanes, bus signals
operated by the buses, and perhaps new bus routes.
In Copenhagen the special S-buses (i.e. speed buses
with few stops) have been a success and the new A-
lines, driving in the dense parts of the city without a
fixed timetable at a frequent rate have also been quite
successful. Much can be done but it of course requires
a thorough study of the city - and an economic goal.
It should also be looked into if it is feasible to provide
one or two tramlines to the centre of the city. But
perhaps Reykjavík is not yet large enough for this.
6. Better facilities for cycle traffic.
Much more should be done to improve the situation
for people on bicycles. In Copenhagen one third of all
journeys to work take place on bicycles. Possibly people
think that the weather is worse in Reykjavík, but I do not
believe this. It storms, rains, and snows also a great deal
in Copenhagen. There may be more hills in and around
Reykjavík but modern bicycles are also very good. The
city should build bicycle paths and special bicycle roads,
ensure the safety of bicyclists in large road junctions,
and províde good, safe bicycle parks etc. It has been a
high priority issue in Copenhagen to improve the bicycle
traffic and this has led to very positive results both ín
Copenhagen and also in many other Danish cities.
7. Very important: The urban
space should be renovated
and made more beautiful.
A colossal change is taking place in the way we use
our cities. Commercial activities are moving to the
large centres in the suburbs and other activities are
moving out. But the town-life taking place in the old
centres of towns is also on the increase. Restaurants,
cafés and speciality shops are doing well and the
same can be said about culture. There is life in squares
and open spaces and many young and old people
like to live in city centres where all kinds of services
are on offer just outside the front door, But active city
... .. „ - .■
life demands attractive spaces in the city. And here
Reykjavík could make a contribution. The squares of
the city, spaces and roads need new designs, surfaces,
equipment, and places to stay. The point is that it
does not cost much to work with the spaces of the
city compared to the construction of multilevel road
interchanges for the cars. In my opinion this is where
the city should put its efforts during the following years.
It will also help the tourism of the city a great deal.
8. Make a plan for the open
areas of the city.
In Copenhagen we have experienced an increase in the
number of people visiting the inner city. Now there is a
vibrant business life, although with a different content
than previously, but suited to the new lifestyle. One of
the things that sparked this off was the preparation
of a plan for the open spaces of the city some years
ago. During the last years many of the city’s squares
and open areas have received new surfaces, parking
has been removed, and small streets pedestrianised
or regulated and made more attractive for people
to stay in. The people of Copenhagen, tourists and
visitors have welcomed these new possibilities. There
is now intensive life in the city all the year round.
9. Prepare a traffic- and an
environmental plan.
One of the premises for being able to renovate and
make the open spaces in the city more beautiful is a
precise plan for the traffic in the city. In Copenhagen
we prepared a combined traffic- and environmental
plan for the city with the objective that private car
traffic should not íncrease and that the increase in
activities should be taken care of by bicycle traffic and
public transport. It has perhaps not been completely
successful but many of the proposals of the plan and
goals have all the same been important for both the
employees of the city and political discussions.
10. Remember that things
change.
Many of the things that we value in a city, the buildings,
squares, places, art etc. are often many hundreds of
years old. We owe a debt of respect to the values
that created this framework that still exists and we
should be careful in the planning of demolition, road
widening and new large traffic works. In Copenhagen
we almost made terrible mistakes in this respect
towards the middle and end of the last century when
large road construction and motorway plans came
close to béing :carried out. Today we count ourselves
lucky that the old centre somehow survived and that
our lakes and many open areas did not become
sites for motorways. It is a question of not taking the
short-term view: What do we really know about the
wishes for our cities just 50 years from now?“ ■