Paul Stangl

Revolutionaries' cemeteries in Berlin: memory, history, place and space

In Germany, the Revolutions of 1848 and 1918/19 resulted in the martyrdom of opposition leaders and constituents, whose burial sites in Berlin became key sites of memory and commemoration for the working-class movement. Political turbulence and regime change throughout the twentieth century has resulted in contestation over the meaning and use of these places; a trajectory illustrating the dynamic, reciprocal relationship between popular memory and official history, and the interplay between representation, place-based associations and spatial relations in constituting social meaning in the urban landscape.

Why people walk: modeling foundational and higher order needs based on latent structure

Abstract Researchers are probing motivational factors influencing individuals’ choice to walk. A review of the literature reveals a great deal of variability in the motivators considered. This study identified 15 motivators commonly associated with walkability for use in a pedestrian-intercept survey to measure their influence on pedestrian mode choice to walk in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of Vancouver, Canada. The results were analyzed using analytical factor analysis and indicated a hierarchical needs model with four significant factors including lower order (urban planning and policy) and higher order (physical geographic; attractiveness and sociability; and personal) needs considered in their decision. The study suggests that lower order factors, which correspond to the 4 Es of pedestrian planning, provide a foundation for encouraging walking, but in order to achieve high levels of walking, it is necessary to adequately address factors related to higher order needs that are often beyond the attention of pedestrian planning.

Pedestrian and bicyclist motivation: an assessment of influences on pedestrians’ and bicyclists’ mode choice in Mt. Pleasant, Vancouver

The majority of short distance travel in North America is completed by single occupancy vehicles. Substituting walking and bicycling for these trips would reduce energy use and environmental pollution, while improving quality of life. Therefore, understanding influences on non-automotive travel behavior is crucial. Researchers and planners have touted specific factors for encouraging walking and biking, but the body of work remains fragmented. Previous studies have focused on a smaller number of factors and most of them relate to physical design. This study tests the relative importance of a range of factors, both physical and perceptual that could influence one’s choice to walk or bike. The Mt. Pleasant neighborhood in Vancouver, B.C., Canada was chosen as the location for this study as all of the pedestrian-motivating factors identified in a literature review were present. A questionnaire-based survey addressing distance, sidewalks/bike lanes, pedestrian/bicycle traffic signals, buffering from auto traffic, sense of security, cleanliness, opportunities to talk with others, enforcement of traffic laws, concern for the environment, weather, terrain, saving money, opportunities for exercise, and a visually appealing environment as influential factors was administered in person and online yielding 774 responses. All factors were shown to influence the decision to walk or bike, but some proved more significant than others, especially opportunities for exercise.

Overcoming flaws in permeability measures: modified route directness

Abstract Increased levels of walking have been associated with a range of individual and societal benefits, including reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and improved public health. Recent scholarship has sought to provide evidence that good street connectivity encourages walking, and though some correlation is evident, the statistical significance of these studies is generally weak. This paper asserts that the most commonly used methods to measure street connectivity, intersection density and block length, are weakened by random variation, and more significantly, utterly fail to detect street patterns. An alternative measure, modified route directness, is introduced, and shown to be capable of measuring the impact of street pattern on permeability. A more effective measure of connectivity could help demonstrate the correlation between street connectivity and walking, enabling stronger arguments for changes regulatory activity and public investment that supports improved connectivity.

Prospects for Urban Morphology in Resilience Assessment

Recent attempts to develop resiliency indices for metropolitan areas have relied on coarse aggregate data that has little value in assessing the impacts of hazards on urban life. An examination of literature on three hazards (heat waves, flooding, and fires) reveals that it is essential to consider impacts, and how to mitigate and re-mediate them at multiple scales. The field of urban morphology offers a ready-made framework for the development of new resiliency assessment criteria at multiple-scales. While a few initial steps have been taken in this direction, an immense untapped potential remains.