Psychology of Shared Spaces

The Dutch propose a simple interpretation of "design is people" —naked streets.

When you’re in a shopping mall or Disney World, you aren’t worried about stepping out of your lane or swerving into oncoming traffic. Everyone’s a pedestrian. You might jockey for a better cashier line, but the stakes of unpredictable behavior are low. Imagine having the same mobility boldness in an environment that allowed scooters, bikes, large buses, delivery trucks, and passenger cars. 

Shared spaces, or "naked streets,” are designed to be shared by everyone using every mode, without the traditional segregation of space. The psychology of shared space is grounded in the idea that humans have an innate ability to navigate and adapt to their environment, and that clear and consistent design cues can help guide behavior.

It means removing traffic signals, pavement markings, and road signs to encourage people to behave more responsibly and attentively, because they’re forced to rely on their own senses and judgment to navigate space. 

I learned about shared spaces from Ben Hamilton-Baillee, a fun-loving urbanist who passed away four years ago. Congress for the New Urbanism was the matchmaker that helped me discover this kindred soul. It probably wouldn’t surprise you that my favorite memory of Ben is four of us new urbanists riding borrowed folding bikes on a “follow your intuition” tour of Buffalo. It ended on a stranger’s porch who invited us up for an impromptu happy hour, turning strangers into friends.

Andy Boenau, Sam Goater, Ben Hamilton-Baillee make light of darkness (2014)

I take you on that brief tangent, because that’s the outcome of good urbanism. Human interactions that aren’t dependent on personal cars or taxis. I don’t see much coverage of shared spaces in the US, probably because of the intense shock factor: “What? A stripped down street, are you out of your mind?!” I’ll admit, it’s not easy to grok for an American context. But the philosophy that drives it is human-scale design, so I think it’s worth exploring.

Those Dutch designers 

The Dutch approach to shared space design is grounded in a philosophy of "self-explaining roads," which means that the design of the road itself should communicate to users how it is intended to be used. Design elements could be changes in road surface materials or textures, narrowing or widening of the road, street furniture, public art, and whatever else you might think of. 

The goal is to create a place that’s so well designed that people automatically adjust their behavior to fit the space, regardless of how they’re moving (foot, bike, scooter, car). It’s a great example of applying psychology to public infrastructure.

Hans Monderman was a Dutch traffic engineer and road safety specialist who is considered one of the most significant influences on the current debate about the design of streets and spaces in the UK. Monderman's approach to street design inspired a long list of towns and villages across the UK which work without road markings, traffic signs, signals, curbs, barriers and bollards. He thought separating people and vehicles created a false sense of security and encouraged dangerous driving behavior.

Monderman's philosophy was simple: to slow down traffic, create an environment where drivers feel uncertain about what’s expected of them.

He argued that drivers would be forced to pay closer attention to their surroundings, take greater care, and slow down.

When I first heard this, it made obvious sense, because I imagined myself lost. Yes, I’d slow down and look for cues. But would it, could it, should it be applied to urban design? I had no idea.

In shared spaces, pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists share the road. I wouldn’t say they’re equals, because calm traffic naturally favors the pedestrians. Shared space is extreme traffic calming, intended to create a sense of community.. It’s a physical manifestation of concepts like “places for people” and “human-scale design.”

One of the most striking examples of Monderman's shared spaces is the Dutch town of Drachten. It started with a major intersection converted into a shared space, yanking out the traffic lights, road markings, and a bunch of signs. The town tracked a significant drop in crashes after the changes were made, and the area has become a popular destination, rather than a place to just zip through in a car.

Monderman's approach to street design has been controversial, in part because critics can’t handle nuance. Social media lights up like “Oh, so you’re saying a blind person in a wheelchair should just fend for themselves? Got it.” But of all the approaches to street design, shared space seems to have the strongest embrace of all-ages-and-abilities. 

Creating a sense of place