A recent study showed that people living in densely built-up cities have the lowest level of happiness: depression is observed 40% more often, and anxiety is 20% more common than in residents of small towns and villages. It turned out that the quality of the artificial environment is directly related to the feeling of happiness and well-being of the people living in it, which means that the responsibility of designers and landscape architects increases many times.
Thanks to his research on cognitive architecture, Justin Hollander, a professor of urban and environmental planning and policy at Tufts University (USA), discovered that the environment has a much stronger influence on us than we think: "We have an automatic (unconscious) reaction to forms, patterns and colors Our mind is like an iceberg — we are aware of less than 5% of our reactions to the environment," says Hollander. These findings, which are described in detail in his book Cognitive Architecture: Designing How We Respond to the Artificial Environment, co-authored with Anne Sussman, have important implications for the planning and design of all elements of urban space, including sidewalks and plazas.
People living in densely built-up cities have the lowest level of happiness: depression is observed 40% more often, and anxiety is 20% more than in residents of small towns and villages.
It is necessary to take into account the behavioral patterns characteristic of a person, such as, for example, walking closer to the walls, finding the shortest paths, and clearly marking the passages and streets, thus encouraging forward movement and an unobstructed walk. At the same time, not only signs and inscriptions should serve as navigation, but also sidewalk paving, which intuitively gives a person hints on the optimal path, with a division into zones and highlighted by color and texture, indicating the boundaries of individual lanes and tactilely warning of obstacles in the form of trees, benches or congresses.
In the course of the study, Hollander discovered that the gaze of the test subjects fixated on the doors and windows, ignoring the empty surface, which means that the same thing happens with the perception of solid concrete or glass facades of modern buildings and the faceless covering of pedestrian paths, which do not say anything about themselves. They do not allow establishing a connection with them and learning the history of a building or place, visually considering their identity.
Along with storytelling, it is important to protect people's sense of security in the urban environment. It is influenced not only by the level of street lighting at night or the presence of a fence on the side of the road separating the sidewalk from the flow of traffic, but also by a clear sequence of elements, the logic of which can always be subconsciously relied upon.
Superkilen Park, Copenhagen. BIG project together with Topotek 1 and Superflex. Photo: Iwan Baan
It sounds somewhat paradoxical, but research has shown that an environment with less visual intensity turns out to be less "passable", since it literally does not stick. A gray pavement with no identifying marks or solid facade glazing can trigger cognitive stress, which eventually blocks the feeling of happiness.
Platforms for the community
The level of happiness is directly related to the promotion of social behavior, because "people need social connections to thrive." Such places help create relationships at different levels, including "weak ties" that provide a sense of belonging and identity, strengthen trust, and encourage communities to overcome difficulties.
Megan Oliver, an urbanist from Baltimore and the founder of Hello Happy Design, claims that communities with prosocial behavior are more inclusive and active, therefore, they are able to independently create an artificial environment to meet their needs. These communities shape their space, creating a common identity through gardens, street art, and other improvements that help reduce stressors.
The concept revises urban planning, making it human-oriented and aimed at meeting the basic needs of residents.
Many examples are known when urban architects were engaged in the creation of such communication platforms in the urban environment. One of the most striking is the Superkilen park with a total length of 750 m in the multinational district in the north of Copenhagen, designed by the Bjarke Ingels BIG office together with the landscape architects Topotek 1 and the Superflex art studio. Instead of connecting disparate communities with the help of Danish traditions, project participants used global experience and the best examples of urban design that 60 different cultures can offer. Such a "achieved" demonstration became an occasion for communication, rallied the residents of the area, and Superkilen Park provoked the formation of a new community.
Trukhanov Island, Kyiv. Used tiles from the "Linestone-60" collection, color - patina, and paving stones without chamfer, 200 x 100 mm, color - graphite. Avenue brand from PSG "Kovalskaya"
The design of modern residential complexes and neighborhoods - both in our country and in the world - today is also carried out taking into account the provision of conditions for the socialization of residents, in order to create the very "weak ties" necessary for a sense of happiness and well-being. Another phenomenon that can be put in the piggy bank of this global trend was the appearance in the mid-2010s of such a concept as urban living room ("urban living room"), which denotes a public space under the open sky with the attributes of a living room - furniture and paving, reminiscent of interior coverings , where little-known people gather for communication.
A city in a city
The results of research on cognitive architecture can serve as confirmation of the viability of the "15-minute city" concept, which in recent years has acquired the status of the main trend in urban planning in the world and is gradually turning from a utopia into a plan of quite concrete actions. Partly inspired by the work of social activist and urbanist writer Jane Jacobs, who viewed neighborhoods as clusters for creating social connections, the idea of "15-minute cities" was developed by Carlos Moreno, a professor at the Sorbonne who sought to improve the quality of life in cities.
Natalka Park, Kyiv. Used paving tiles from the "Old Town" collection in three colors - sugar, gray, amber. Paving of the bike path uses paving stones without chamfers, 200 x 100 mm, color — series. "Avenue" brand from "Kovalska"
Creating conditions for 15-minute access to all necessary services, workplaces, government services, public parks, shops and various entertainment on foot or by bicycle, the concept revises urban planning, making it human-oriented and aimed at satisfying the basic needs of residents. Stronger communities will be created within this small radius from their homes, which will allow residents to feel more interested in business and services in this area.
The concept envisages decentralization and the adoption of new laws that will change the zoning of streets to remove cars and give way to pedestrians and cyclists. The pyramid "private cars - public transport - cyclists - pedestrians", where the groups are located in descending order, is turned upside down, and pedestrians are in the majority.
Natalka Park, Kyiv. Used paving stones without chamfer, 200 x 100 mm, color — platinum, as well as paving stones with chamfer, 100 x 100 mm, color — sugar.
"Avenue" brand from "Kovalska"
One of the cities leading this urban strategy is Paris under the leadership of Mayor Ann Hidalgo. In her plans, she will turn the capital into a pedestrian zone, lay bicycle lanes on every street and reduce the number of parking spaces for cars on city streets by 60 units. Along with Paris, Melbourne is creating its 000‑minute districts. While Copenhagen is building a concept of urbanism based on the active use of bicycles.
American cities are also carefully studying this method, drawing lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and analyzing the difficulties faced by residents due to the urban environment's inability to distance pedestrians. The company HERE Technologies has even created an interactive map that shows which cities in the US are already tipping the scales toward greater compliance with "15-minute cities." Many come to the belief that spending 1–2 hours a day getting to work by private transport is an unhealthy situation. Therefore, more and more attention is paid to the return of streets to people, to the search for ways to reduce excessive dependence on cars and to recreate a sense of closeness, which has significantly decreased as cities grow.
Andriy Bely
Andriy Bely, urban planner, Lviv
Paving for the pedestrian area is a very important element, I would even say the main one. It is obvious that the tiles must be laid flat, but this is not the only requirement. There are at least two different approaches to paving according to the purpose of certain zones.
If we talk about transit zones and walkways, it is desirable that they be paved with plain tiles so as not to burden the people who use them. In Lviv, the accepted standard size for transit zones is a concrete gray FEMka measuring 30x30 with a minimal chamfer, so that it was convenient to move on foot or, for example, to carry a baby carriage.
The results of research on cognitive architecture can serve as confirmation of the viability of the "15-minute city" concept.
If we talk about public spaces, parks, squares, then the type of paving depends on their size and other parameters. The type of coating emphasizes the boundaries of the area, their function, it is an important design element that affects the perception of the space as a whole. Therefore, different experiments are permissible in public space zones.
Landscaping is also an important element of any pedestrian zone: from lawns and ornamental grasses to bushes and trees. The more greenery, the cozier the pedestrian space. This rule is suitable for both transit zones and public space. Convenience is created by street furniture, a sense of security is created by lighting, and accessibility is created by the absence of barriers and fences. In some cities, they like to raise the level of lawns and grasses above the pedestrian zone, but on the contrary, it is desirable to make the paved part higher than the green, so that water flows from the sidewalk to the lawn and penetrates into the soil, and does not form puddles under the feet of pedestrians.
Lyudmila Beloded
Lyudmila Beloded, landscape architect
First of all, the tile finish must be durable and vandal-resistant. If the tile crumbles, then it is categorically not suitable, but this, alas, happens. The color palette produced by Ukrainian companies must be coordinated with colorists. Sometimes I come across tiles of such toxic colors - poisonous yellow, dirty pink or bright red - that I simply cannot imagine in which projects it can look more or less decent. We do not have the goal of making a Moroccan "hot" sidewalk.
Now a seamless pouring coating made of painted concrete with inclusions of granite chips has become very popular. Terrazzo is regaining its popularity, including in the design of open spaces. But it is still rarely used in our country. The last example is UNIT. City, inclusion of concrete black paving between Hiroka Matsuura's pentaboxes. And, of course, when we start working with tiles, laying out patterns, we are sorely lacking a ruler of dimensions and shapes. For example, in Great Britain, they produce a very large range of tiles that allow you to implement traditional and modern paving patterns, use curvilinear curbs, but our options are quite limited.
Friendly streets
Nikos Salingaros, a professor of mathematics, architecture, urban planning and complexity theory at the University of Texas, urges urban designers to think first of all about pedestrians and cyclists, to create so-called intimate networks that are convenient for people. All urban spaces should be a continuation of these human-oriented networks with the use of the correct sizes, scales and the creation of permeable boundaries of buildings and spaces.
Cottage town "Severinovka", Kyiv region. Paving tile "Double T" used, color — series and Sahara.
Avenue brand from PSG "Kovalskaya"
In order to achieve this, the concept of walking or pedestrian friendly streets was introduced and their main principles were defined. Main — sufficient space for walking on sidewalks and pedestrian plazas. The minimum width of the sidewalk for pedestrians should be 2,5 m - based on the dimensions of two wheelchairs. The sidewalks themselves are divided into three main zones: free — for walking; service — for street furniture and a transition zone that provides access to buildings along the street. Understanding the relationship between these components is the key to designing sidewalks of the optimal width, choosing paving materials and how to use them.
"Friendly streets" should also be attractive so that you want to walk along them instead of using transport or choosing another route.
When creating the design of urban spaces, which imply static communication of people, it is necessary to take into account the results of research on personal space, which is necessary for a comfortable conversation. It is 45–120 cm. The next important principle of pedestrian streets is safety, which includes: ensuring sufficient visibility, street lighting separate from the roadway lighting, exclusion of blind spots, regular benches at a distance of 100 m from each other.
Photo: Andrew Gook/Unsplash
"Friendly streets" should also be attractive so that you want to walk along them instead of using transport or choosing another route. In addition to the aesthetic component of the urban environment, the following are necessary to comply with this principle: cleanliness (garbage cans and their regular maintenance) and landscaping — trees and other vegetation at intervals of 15–20 m. To encourage walking, the streets must have some anchors, not connected with movement For example, interactive art or street furniture for relaxation and socializing. And, finally, the principle of connecting the street or square with the rest of the city by pedestrian routes or transport, which implies providing pedestrians with high-quality navigation. It is recommended to use pointers at least every 100–200 m.
Universal tool
An important element for observing all the principles of "friendly streets" is the quality of their covering. It must meet safety requirements, be non-slip, have high wear resistance, look aesthetically pleasing and, therefore, encourage walking, which, as we found out, is the key to walking friendly streets. In the historical districts of European cities, paving stones made of natural stone or concrete are often used, as this is required by the architectural environment with the appropriate color scheme in gray-black, rich burgundy and brick tones, reminiscent of tiles in color.
Natalka Park, Kyiv. For the main paving of the path, paving stones without chamfers, 200 x 100 mm, color - cappuccino, were used, and for edging in three rows - paving stones from the "Old Town" collection, color - wenge and Sahara. Avenue brand from PSG "Kovalskaya"
The territories of new districts, residential complexes and community-forming urban spaces are not so strictly regulated and their decision depends on the tasks of designers. In Copenhagen's Superkilen park, which we mentioned above, a bright pink rubber surface was used - a bold and risky move, at first glance. But a bright shade was the only correct solution for attracting attention in this gray and architecturally unremarkable area of Copenhagen. Most of the examples of paving of city streets and squares indicate just the opposite — a tendency towards simplicity and minimalism. Specialists choose solutions for paving that will complement the surrounding architecture and landscape, and not take away all the attention. Therefore, in the creation of open spaces, a series of colors in different shades is popular, which serves as a good background for green. Its neutral character also allows designers to create accents by adding contrasting colors with the help of street furniture or the same tiles of other shades. In turn, the tile design gravitates towards realistic textures and grains characteristic of natural stone. The presence of manufacturers in a wide range of shades and sizes allows you to use paving tiles for navigation, delimiting the space and flows of pedestrians and cyclists.
In the creation of open spaces, a series of colors in different shades is popular, which serves as a good background for greenery.
In our latitudes, the Avenue brand represents products that meet all the above-mentioned requirements for covering city streets and squares. Avenue paving tiles, as well as elements of decor and landscape design, are manufactured at the factories of the industrial and construction group "Kovalskaya". The constant improvement of production technologies, the study of world trends and the needs of the local market allows Avenue to cover all issues related to paving. For the convenience of landscape designers and designers, separate lines have been developed: "Bruschatka", "Old Town", "Mosaic" and "Modern". Their style, shapes, sizes, and colors give experts a real tool for creating smart covers that will help with navigation and beautify the city.
Residential complex "Comfort Town", Kyiv. Used paving stones without chamfer, 200 x 100 mm,
color — platinum and Palermo.
Avenue brand from PSG "Kovalskaya"
One of the current trends in the field of covered city sidewalks, which we would like to mention in order to indicate the vector of further development, is waterproof paving stones. It became a response to the introduction of the principles of sustainable development into the urban environment, without which a modern city is unthinkable. This direction of landscape design development was demonstrated by the projects that received the international iF Design Award in the Public / Retail category in 2021. In particular, the Life Cersuds project is a sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) made of economical ceramic material, which performs the function of a waterproof urban pavement. Namely: it ensures water penetration, sewage treatment and water reuse. The sidewalk is laid on an experimental territory with an area of about 3000 square meters. m in the city center with pedestrian traffic, located in the municipality of Benicassim (Spain). Such projects are the future. The future of cities, streets and squares that are easy and comfortable to walk on.
Vladimir Sobolev
Vladimir Sobolev, CMO of the "Kovalskaya" group
The bridge effectively fulfills the role of the main navigation plane, separating separate traffic lanes and distributing pedestrian and traffic flows. For this, architects need to work with tiles of not only different textures, but also colors. To what extent does the brand's assortment meet these requests?
PSG "Kovalskaya" produces tiles of different colors, textures and textures. This allows us to equip sidewalks, roads for cars, alleys, parks, yards, parking lots, stops and station platforms.
How are the palette and textures of the brand adapted to the historical context?
Designing spaces with paving tiles in our historical context is an important part of landscaping, not an architectural form, so we believe that it should not draw attention to itself. In general, any historical context can be recreated with Avenue tiles.
Residential complex "Faina Town", Kyiv.
Paving tiles from the "Linestone-60" collection are used, the color is platinum and Palermo.
Avenue brand from PSG "Kovalskaya"
Most often, you can hear citizens criticizing tiled sidewalks, complaining that the surface is too slippery in the rain. Similar complaints are heard from both pedestrians and cyclists. What is done to ensure that the tile is not only durable, beautiful, but also safe?
If we are talking about tiles, then the remark about sliding is not very fair. The surface of the products is quite rough, so it does not slip at all, unlike clinker pavers, granite pavers and cast concrete products.
"The decoration of spaces with pavement tiles in our historical context is an important part of landscaping, not an architectural form."
What non-standard elements, which can be organically integrated into the project, does the manufacturer offer?
While I cannot reveal the details, I think we will be able to do it in the first half of 2022. I will only say that we are closely following world trends in the production of paving tiles. They change, and we change too. This year, we relaunched the Avenue paving tile brand and are ready to produce solutions for both urban giants and cozy country yards.
Text: Kateryna Oshemkova
