Title: Small things with big impact in urban infrastructure design

Authors: Sara Adhitya; Nick Tyler

Addresses: Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London, Chadwick Building, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT, London, UK ' Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering, University College London, Chadwick Building, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT, London, UK

Abstract: In cities, infrastructure is usually considered to include energy, transportation, communications, waste and other large-scale systems that support its operation. However, in the design of these systems, we often forget that these infrastructure systems operate is largely dependent on the small-scale interactions between the people and the infrastructure. These people-environment interactions are crucial to the success of the infrastructure in supporting the wellbeing of both society and the individual. This paper examines people-environment interactions in street-based transportation - such as walking, waiting and lingering in the urban space - to examine the importance of such interactions in the successful operation of the public transport system. It explores how personal interactions can be enhanced by paying closer attention to details of urban design in London and the cities of Panama, Santa Marta and Barranquilla in Latin America, and discusses various interventions where the local community can be involved in improving such interactions.

Keywords: cities; urban infrastructure systems; public transport systems; bus stops; urban design; people-environment interactions; urban interaction design; public engagement; wellbeing; walking; waiting; lingering; infrastructure design; personal interactions; London; Panama; Santa Marta; Barranquilla; local communities.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCAST.2016.081295

International Journal of Complexity in Applied Science and Technology, 2016 Vol.1 No.1, pp.61 - 85

Received: 22 Apr 2015
Accepted: 09 Nov 2015
Published online: 03 Jan 2017 *