Citation

Wiki J, Kingham S, Banwell K. World Transp. Policy Pract. 2018; 24(1): 60-68.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Eco-Logica)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Street space was once an essential element of urban environments and provided a place for community interaction and engagement. This role however is increas- ingly being subverted by vehicular dominance. As a result street space no longer acts as a driver for social interaction in many places, which has significant impacts on the liveability of streets and the wellbeing of their residents. This study sought to assess the extent to which motorised traffic volumes impact street liveability and community severance in Christchurch, a relatively low density city in New Zealand. Based on Appleyard's work of the late 1970s, data was collected from six streets, in two areas, categorised into three motorised traffic volume classifications.

RESULTS showed that residents on light trafficked streets have more neighbourhood connections and community interactions and per- ceive their street to be more liveable. Furthermore, residents on heavy trafficked streets had a negative perception of their street environment, smaller local home areas and a decreased sense of belonging to their community. This affirms relationships found in previous research and raises questions about what and whom the residential street spaces of Christchurch are, and should be, designed for.


Keywords: traffic, low density, environ- ment, community, liveability, Christchurch.

Language: en