Instant Street Reclaiming Event

David Engwicht

In this section I will explain:
1. Goals of an Instant Street Reclaiming Event
2. Rationale
3. How to run an event
4. Suggested rules and guidelines
5. Some ideas for residents and the city
 
1. Goals of an Instant Reclaiming Event

1. For residents and city officials to experience first-hand how gradually moving activities back towards the street slows traffic and automatically creates a safer street environment. This 'reclaiming' is compressed into a short period of one or two hours to make the impacts more dramatic.

2. For residents and city officials to experience first-hand how design elements can be used to further slow traffic.

3. To build social contacts that will continue after the event, thereby increasing street activity which will slow traffic.

An Instant Reclaiming Event does not permanently reclaim the street. It is a temporary and demonstration event only. However, it is a great way to kick-start a reclaiming process. [ to get pictures and/or more information in a convenient pop-up window.]

2. Rationale

Because our surrender of the street to traffic has been long and gradual, people often find it extremely hard to visualize how this happened and how it may be reversed. Condensing the 15 or 20 year process into a single hour or two is a dramatic revelation for most people.

However, this is more than just an object lesson. Neighbors and kids meet each other for the first time or strengthen existing friendships. This is the start of building a more vibrant street life.

3. How to run an event

Instant Street Reclaiming Events can be run in one of two ways.

Method 1: Organizers meets residents on the sidewalk or in the street if it is safe. They explain briefly how we have gradually surrendered our streets to traffic. They work with the residents to identify ways they have retreated. The reclaiming then begins, often with people going back to their houses to get their cars and park them in the street.

Organizers can then set up something to give a focal point for the reclaiming. This is set up where it is felt safe to set it up. This may be in a parking bay or even right in the middle of the street. Residents are then encouraged to start adding activity. [ for photos] Some people go home and get seats. Others will get toys and put them on the side of the street. Each incremental addition brings traffic speed down. (We were surprised once at the power of a single balloon to bring traffic to a crawl. [ for photo] This often allows some activities to be gradually inched out further into the street. If done properly, within an hour you can have speeds down low enough to allow kids to do chalk drawings in the street. It is absolutely important that activities are only added as it feels safe to do so.

Often residents are quite angry about the traffic in their street and will start the event by yelling at cars to slow down. It is important for organizers to encourage the residents to wave and smile at the motorists. Residents are always surprised at what a difference this makes to traffic speed. This can be an important object lesson in the power of intrigue to slow traffic.

The most dramatic lesson happens at the end of these events. Organizers gets residents to quickly withdraw all activity (including the parked cars) and stand back and watch what happens to traffic speeds.

Method 2. Organizers meet with residents a day or two before the event. They explain how street reclaiming works. Together they brainstorm what they would like to do in their street, using only materials they have in their basement or garage or that they can acquire quickly and cheaply. They then spend the next 24 hours getting these materials ready. For example, they may decide to put a tricycle on a post. Someone may volunteer to paint the tricycle. Or they may decide to create a temporary mural or carpet square on their street. This may involve creating stencils and organizing the temporary paint.

On the day of the actual reclaiming event, these reclaiming devices are installed. [ for photo] The rest of the event is then basically the same as for method one. This second type of Instant Reclaiming Event is usually longer as it involves a greater emphasis on experimenting with design elements that help reinforce reclaiming through activity.

4. Suggested rules and guidelines

— Do not close the street to traffic. Street reclaiming is built on finding a better balance between the movement function and the neighborhood-building function of streets. These events are to demonstrate how cars and people can coexist more harmoniously in the same space. If you want to close the street to traffic, do not call it a Street Reclaiming event.

— Try to avoid using official signage or traffic cones to warn motorists of the reclaiming event. In Does Increasing Intrigue and Uncertainty Reduce Safety, I give a real-world example where the city insisted on cones and signs and actually made the situation more dangerous. What an Instant Street Reclaiming Event is demonstrating is how activity itself makes it safe to add even more activity. We are demonstrating that eventually it is possible for children to play safely in the street — without adults needing to put up warning signs or surrounding them with traffic cones. The only exception is if you are doing something like painting a mural and you don't yet have a full scale reclaiming event that brings traffic speeds down low enough to make this safe. The other exception is if you want to place someone with a safety vest either side of the reclaiming event to explain to motorists what is happening. If you do this we suggest you offer the motorist a cookie or some cake.

— To increase safety, choose a location that has long sight-lines either side (do not hold the event on a blind bend or just over the crest of a hill). You can give the motorist advance notice that something is happening by putting something unusual on the side or in the middle of the street (e.g. toys or a store dummy watching TV). Remember that intrigue and uncertainty is what gets them to slow down. It is helpful to have something tall and colorful at the center of the activity (something like David's Reclaiming Chair and the silk banners). Motorists see this from a long way off and begin slowing down long before they get to the event.

— Treat motorist with respect and as a guest. On occasions you may get 'anti-car' campaigners at these events. Some of these may have even been involved in the Reclaim the Streets movement which takes over the entire street and blocks it to all traffic. Tell these people that this is a different kind of event which is about finding ways for residents and traffic to coexist. Make room for traffic to move through and do not hold motorists up against their will.

5. Some ideas for residents and city

— Street murals and carpet squares: For these to be effective, you must view them as the motorist will see them. Because motorist sit low to the road, they cannot see small detail and the design must cover a large area to have a real impact. You can create a simple carpet square using a stencil. [ for instructions including how to make your own temporary paint.]

— Deliberately reverse the erosion process: Discuss with residents the actual surrender process in this street. Then deliberately set about reversing each step.

— Play games and music: What games were traditionally played in the street? Have musicians play some music and maybe even do some dancing.

— Make elderly guest of honor: Make the oldest person in the street (or all those over a certain age) the guest of honor. Get them to tell tales about how they remember the street. Maybe you can agree to put some seating out so they can once again sit in the street and yarn with those passing.