Urbani izziv Volume 30, No. 1, June 2019
: 75-86
(Articles)
UDK: 711.453(549.14)
doi: 10.5379/urbani-izziv-en-2019-30-01-001
Author
Maryam AMAN
National Institute of Transportation, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
maryamaman09@gmail.com
Abdul WAHEED
National Institute of Transportation, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
drwaheed@nit.nust.edu.pk
Malik Asghar NAEEM
National Institute of Transportation, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan
asghar.naeem@nit.nust.edu.pk
Syed Akhtar Ali SHAH
Urban and Regional Planning Department, University of Peshawar, Pešavar, Pakistan
shahg@uop.edu.pk
Title
Implementing the living streets concept
by transforming streets in the central business
district of Peshawar, Pakistan
Abstract
The idea of living streets has recently evolved and is currently
being considered in urban planning and development
for cities. The main purpose of the living streets
concept is to provide safe access for all types of traffic,
thus focusing on the overall sustainability of a city. This
study investigates the characteristics of urban arteries
in Peshawar’s central business district (CBD) from the
perspective of the living streets concept to form a basis
for policy measures that can be adopted to improve
the CBD. The study hypothesizes that the living street
infrastructure in the CBD does not accommodate the
needs of various users (shoppers, residents, employees and
those visiting for recreation). A field survey, including an
observational survey and questionnaire, was conducted
to identify and analyse basic public infrastructure in the
CBD. Issues such as noise, air pollution, litter, a lack of
appropriate public transit and pedestrian infrastructure,
and poor traffic management were discovered. Strong
dissatisfaction was recorded when the respondents were
asked about current pedestrian and on-street parking arrangements. The field survey also found that the current
pedestrian arrangements were insufficient for pedestrian
needs, and the absence of street furniture discouraged
community engagement in the study area.
Key Words
living streets, pedestrian safety, liveability, pedestrianization, accessibility, central business districts, sustainability