WO2007099316A1

WO2007099316A1 - City

Info

Publication number: WO2007099316A1
Application number: PCT/GB2007/000705
Authority: WO
Inventors: John W. Halpern
Original assignee: Halpern John Wolfgang
Priority date: 2006-02-28
Filing date: 2007-02-28
Publication date: 2007-09-07

Abstract

A design for an urban area has buildings (NB22, NB24) for human business and/or residential use, with unidirectional roads R for vehicles running alongside them. The roads have no footway for pedestrians. The road has a slow lane A from or into which vehicles can enter or leave the buildings. Between rows of roads and buildings are garden or agricultural areas G and these are accessible by pedestrians from the first upper floor of the buildings by way of footbridges.

Description

CITY

This invention relates to the layout and realisation of a city or other urban area. It aims to reduce vehicle congestion and at the same time to bring the recreational moments closer to the person at work, also to those at home.

Nobody who is a dweller in one of the metropolitan congregations of the world needs an introduction to the above given theme. He knows all about the congestion of vehicles, the shortage of regular parking facilities (not to speak of the intrusion of parked cars into footways), the unpleasant and long trips if one has to travel to the nearest open spaces for recreation and refreshment.

According to the invention, there is provided an urban construction comprising buildings for human use and roads for vehicles, wherein the roads run between lines of buildings without footways for pedestrians, and ground floor spaces of the buildings are used for parking said vehicles. Preferably nearby garden areas or agricultural areas are made accessible from the first upper floors of the buildings via footbridges across the roads. The footbridges may be provided with fixed or moving stairs or elevators (lifts) at their garden ends. The garden or agricultural areas are preferably paired with rows of buildings and roads on a regular basis. The footpaths in the garden or agricultural areas may be interconnected by underpasses or bridges where roads cross said areas. Thus there may be footpaths running through the garden/agricultural areas, e.g. centrally, whereby pedestrians can walk from one part of the city to another.

Preferably the buildings are numbered in such a way as to indicate in advance the road that gives the most direct access to the building.

Preferably each road is provided for only unidirectional traffic, and the buildings have ground-floor vehicular entrances and exits permitting vehicles to leave the roads and rejoin them in the same direction.

Preferably the vehicles are self-driven vehicles accessible via an electrical and computer system through applying a special electronic ID card to the system.

It can be seen that the invention alters the relationship of streets and buildings. Where in the past the pedestrian walked alongside buildings, the new concept permits only vehicles. All the main roads are preferably unidirectional. Garden areas are brought closer to the workplaces or residences and high level footbridges cross into the garden areas. Footpaths may be provided through the garden areas to allow pedestrians to walk from one part of the city to another. With only a short work interruption at lunch time an employee of a company could seek out the garden retreat for a brief study period, or could take a technical handbook to clarify a matter important for the current production process but away from the production environment.

Shared usage vehicles could be provided and parked in the buildings and near railway stations of the cities. Anyone equipped with a valid smart ID card could unlock the doors of a car and drive it; the presence of these vehicles close to railway stations would be a powerful incentive for public transport usage. This configuration would replace a good proportion of long distance driving in private cars. Certain embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a plan of part of a city constructed in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is an elevation detail view; Figure 3 is a horizontal section through a mezzanine floor; and Figure 4 shows in plan and elevation a road with buildings on each side.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows an array of roads R crossing each other in a pattern of streets and avenues, hi the blocks between the roads are buildings for human use numbered NBl to NB34. Between the central streets is a garden or agricultural area G. As best seen in Figure 2, the buildings contain one or more parking floors for vehicles including the ground floor, and the higher floors are for business and/or residential use. The first upper floor or mezzanine floor is provided with a footbridge which crosses the adjacent road and leads to the garden area. The roads are not provided with footways for pedestrians and they are solely for the use of vehicles. At the garden end of each footbridge there are stairs which may be fixed or moving stairs and optionally lifts may be provided. This allows pedestrians to pass easily from the buildings to the garden areas. The road comprises a slow lane and at least one fast lane but all the traffic flows in one direction. Vehicles leave or enter the road via the slow lane and the slow lane may be separated from the fast lane(s) by a separating chain or fence. Vehicles enter the buildings via the entrances marked en and exit the buildings through the exits marked ex.

Within the buildings there may be provided sports and gymnastics areas. The garden areas may be provided with study areas. A wall may be provided separating the garden area from the road, as shown in Figure 2. This prevents people from climbing into the roadway and may also be useful to keep noise out from the garden area.

In Figure 3, A is the slow lane and, B and C are fast lanes. This Figure also shows the entrance and exit gates through which vehicles can enter or leave the parking area, that are at an angle (of 45° in this case) to the front line of the building.

Figure 4 shows an alternative arrangement of lanes; unidirectionality is maintained but there is only one fast lane in the middle and two slow lanes to the right and to the left thereof.

As shown in Figure 1, footpaths in the garden areas may be interconnected by an underpass u where the roads cross the garden areas. There may be a central path (not shown) through the garden areas allowing pedestrians to walk to different parts of the city.

The numbers of the buildings could be chosen so that for example an even number could be accessed when driving from east to west and an odd number from west to east. This would, enable a driver to place himself onto a fast lane of the connecting road from the start. As mentioned, a plurality of vehicles may be provided, which are self-driven vehicles accessible via an electrical and computer system through applying a special electronic ID card to the system. TV displays and traffic lights can ensure the safety of traffic changing lanes, turning and entering or leaving buildings. The vehicles are adapted to emit a signal which indicates the destination building number, and luminous indicators along the road are arranged to indicate said number. Thus, drivers in the slow lane can recognise the demand situation and will not be in a hurry to miss their own parking opportunity. The invention has been described in terms of a "city" but no particular administrative structure or size is implied. It is applicable to any urban area where vehicles are used and people live and work, but is particularly advantageous in larger such areas.

Claims

1. An urban construction comprising buildings for human use and roads for vehicles, wherein the roads run between lines of buildings without footways for pedestrians, and ground floor spaces of the buildings are used for parking said vehicles.

2. An urban construction as claimed in claim 1 wherein nearby garden areas or agricultural areas are made accessible from the first upper floors of the buildings via footbridges across the roads.

3. An urban construction as claimed in claim 2 wherein the footbridges are provided with stairs at their garden end.

4. An urban construction as claimed in claim 2 or 3 wherein the footbridges are provided with elevators at their garden end.

5. An urban construction as claimed in claim 2, 3 or .4 wherein the garden or agricultural areas are paired with rows of buildings and roads on a regular basis.

6. An urban construction as claimed in claim 2, 3, 4 or 5 wherein footpaths in the garden or agricultural areas are interconnected by underpasses where roads cross said areas.

7. An urban construction as claimed in any preceding claim wherein numbers attached to the buildings indicate which road gives the most direct connection to a building.

8. An urban construction as claimed in any preceding claim wherein each road is provided for only unidirectional traffic, and the buildings have ground-floor vehicular entrances and exits permitting vehicles to leave the roads and rejoin them in the same direction.

9. An urban construction as claimed in any preceding claim in combination with a plurality of said vehicles wherein TV displays and traffic lights ensure the safety of incoming and outgoing traffic.

10. An urban construction as claimed in claim 9 wherein the vehicles are self-driven vehicles accessible via an electrical and computer system through applying a special electronic ID card to the system.

11. An urban construction as claimed in claim 9 or 10 wherein the vehicles are adapted to emit a signal which indicates the destination building number, and wherein luminous indicators along the road are arranged to indicate said number.