Streetscapes: Designing beyond the car
Translated title
Streetscapes - Designing beyond the car: Designing beyond the car
Authors
Fredsgaard, Anders Sø Busk ; Sparre, Luna Nygaard ; Baaner, Ea
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2026
Pages
180
Abstract
This thesis examines how a visionary and participatory approach can transform urban mobility and city-centre streets, using Aalborg as a design case. It follows an integrated design process that links theory and practice. The theoretical foundation draws on the “mobilities turn” (a social-science perspective that studies movement and mobility), “social futures” (ways of imagining possible futures), and ideas about justice and fairness, complemented by case studies of four cities that highlight what is needed for inclusive, context-specific solutions. The central argument is that tackling the problems created by car dominance in city streets begins with a shared social imagination of streets without cars. This requires challenging our assumptions about what streets are, who they are for, and how we design the transformation process itself. The design proposal presents an overall vision and a mobility strategy for Aalborg, along with transformations of three streets. The thesis shows that the shift to sustainable urban mobility demands changes in mindset, process, and solutions, and that people’s motivations for using the street can serve as a practical tool in a collective transformation.
Afhandlingen undersøger, hvordan en visionær og inddragende tilgang kan forandre urban mobilitet og midtbyens gader med Aalborg som designcase. Arbejdet bygger på en integreret designproces, der kobler teori og praksis. Det teoretiske afsæt er “the mobilities turn” (en samfundsvidenskabelig retning, der ser på bevægelse og mobilitet), “social futures” (måder at forestille sig mulige fremtider) og begreber om retfærdighed og fairness, suppleret af casestudier af fire byer, som peger på, hvilke greb der skal til for at skabe inkluderende og stedstilpassede løsninger. Hovedargumentet er, at vejen ud af de problemer, som bilens dominans skaber i byens gader, begynder med en fælles forestilling om gader uden biler. Derfor må vi udfordre vores opfattelse af, hvad gader er, hvem de er til for, og hvordan vi designer selve omstillingsprocessen. Designforslaget omfatter en overordnet vision og en mobilitetsstrategi for Aalborg samt konkrete transformationer af tre gader. Afhandlingen viser, at omstillingen til bæredygtig urban mobilitet kræver ændringer i tankegang, proces og løsninger, og at borgernes og brugernes motivationer for at bruge gaden kan fungere som et praktisk værktøj i en fælles transformation.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords