Speaker
Description
Large-scale housing estates (LHEs) present a unique setting for the sustainable mobility transition we are trying to bring about. Largely built between the 1960s and 1990s, they were typically developed on the outskirts of cities at inexpensive locations following specific spatial configurations and urban design principles, such as the provision of open green space between apartment blocks and a functional large-scale transport infrastructure focused on cars and public transit, supplemented by car-free inner areas. Furthermore, they also implemented the idea that the neighbourhood should provide everyday services, like schools, neighbourhood centres, healthcare and essential shopping. Although the design principles and ideas of LHEs were similar across Europe, they have followed different development trajectories since their construction. For example, Western European countries have developed a negative critique of LHEs, while in Eastern European countries, living in a LHE is more conventional. In several European countries, growing socioeconomic disparities in urban society become increasingly visible in LHEs, following immigration, segregation, and marginalization processes.
Today, LHEs are home to more than 40 million people in Europe alone and present a complex socio-spatial setting in which the quality and provision of urban functions and amenities, active travel use, and liveability are generally under pressure. Considering the renewed interest in proximity-based planning approaches, symbolized by the 15-minute city concept, these areas present specific challenges and opportunities. Spatially, there is sufficient population density for providing a basic level of services and amenities, but over the years, and to different degrees, they have left these areas. Given the often-peripheral urban locations and spacious layout of these neighbourhoods, many residents have become dependent on the car, as the availability of public transport has come under strain and walking and cycling infrastructure has often been neglected. Socially, many LHEs have become multicultural environments with increasing levels of deprivation, ageing and loneliness. Altogether, the ingrained spatial features and the social practices of a vulnerable local population complicate a just, accepted, and sustainable mobility transition.
Despite this diagnosis, urban planning studies have not yet formed a comprehensive understanding of mobility options and practices in LHEs, and of the interventions and strategies that could improve active mobility and local accessibility. That is why, in the European research project 15minESTATES, we focus on LHEs across Europe, critically applying the 15-minute city concept. In five case study cities – Delft (NL), Halle (DE), Riga (LV), Budapest (HU) and Sofia (BG) – we look at spatial structures, transport options and behaviour, location of functions and amenities, and people’s needs, perceptions and satisfaction in LHEs. The findings will provide input for a co-creative process with local stakeholders, supported by modelling, where we will try to find concrete solutions and strategies to promote active mobility and use of local functions and amenities.
In our paper we will present the first results of a residents’ survey that was carried out in the project’s five case study LHEs, giving insight into current transport behaviour and mobility practices, as well as active mobility barriers and specific needs regarding local services and amenities. Through a comparative analysis we analyse the similarities and differences between LHEs in different socio-political and cultural contexts and try to identify patterns that might apply to LHEs elsewhere. In combination with qualitative research and spatial analysis carried out in other parts of the research project, we aim to better understand the challenges for sustainable mobility transitions in this specific yet widespread neighbourhood type, which has not yet received the attention it deserves.
References
Wassenberg, F. (2018). Beyond an ugly appearance: understanding the physical design and built environment of large housing estates. In Hess, D. B., Tammaru, T., van Ham, M. (eds.) Housing Estates in Europe: Poverty, Ethnic Segregation and Policy Challenges. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature, pp. 35–55.
Dekker, K., & Van Kempen, R. (2004). Large housing estates in Europe: Current situation and developments. Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 95(5), 570-577.
El-Kayed, N., Bernt, M., Hamann, U., & Pilz, M. (2020). Peripheral Estates as Arrival Spaces? Conceptualising Research on Arrival Functions of New Immigrant Destinations. Urban Planning, 5(3), 113–114.
Kissfazekas, K. (2022). Circle of paradigms? Or ’15-minute’ neighbourhoods from the 1950s. Cities, 123, 103587.
| Keywords | large-scale housing estates, 15-minute city, local accessibility, mobility behaviour, survey |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
