Introduction
People love to be on the move. They need to be on the move to prosper and survive, and to feel connected. Yet the streets and public spaces of a city have a far greater role to play than simply providing the means to access one's destination. So, what role does a sense of place have in determining how and, crucially, why people travel? The space in between buildings – the roadway and pavements, and the more formal spaces of a city that are designed for congregation – are a critical aspect of the urban environment called ‘the public realm’: the common ground that brings everyone together. It is the most fundamental of territories that should welcome and accommodate everyone, in all weathers, day or night, and yet be robust and safe enough to stand up to the colossal pressures placed upon it. It is where culture is nurtured, friendships are made, and the city flourishes by virtue of the exchanges it fosters. But how can we design complementary transport infrastructure and public space when there are seemingly so many competing constraints? Indeed, as we write, the immediate future of the public realm is changing due to the unforeseen and unprecedented impact of a global pandemic and the social distancing required to combat its spread.
This chapter will explore such questions, examining how travel, place and human connectivity are intimately related, from physical, cultural and psychological perspectives. In this chapter, we will draw on the experience and evidence that we have gathered as directors of London-based architecture, urban design and research studio, DSDHA, through both practice and academia. Our work is informed by a deep and rigorous understanding of a place – its history, its people, its morphology and its natural attributes. As such, this chapter focuses on our experience of London, but with wider lessons drawn from around the world that are applicable more generally.
The chapter will first look back, to see where we have come from; making a brief survey of historical relations between human settlements and travel, which will take us from the siting of the first villages to the layout and development of modern cities. We then turn to psychological and behavioural insights about how our ways of travel can impact upon our experiences of the places we live and move through.