Mapping the current situation, to inform future optimisation
The local council of Amsterdam Southeast (Reigersbos) set us the challenge of making an inventory of the parking situation in Reigersbos in participation with people from the neighbourhood, supplemented with specific suggestions for improvements with regard to the future. With a few large scale construction works planned for the coming years in the centre of Reigersbos, a lot of decisions still need to be made with on the redesign of the public realm. The project team from the council was eager to get input from local people, to inform the design the future situation and make sure it will be as optimal as possible for local residents, businesses and visitors.
Combination of research methods to deeply understand the situation
The first method we used for this research was a survey. 15.000 residents, visitors and business owners from the wider local area Gaasperdam received a letter with a link to an online survey. The data collected was analysed by STBY and used to prepare for the Streetlabs. In this way we got a first good sense of the urgent issues around the parking situation in the centre of Reigersbos.
The second research method was a series of Streetlabs on location in the neighbourhood. In these sessions people living, visiting and working in the neighbourhood came together to talk about their experiences, preferences and concerns about parking issues in the centre of Reigersbos. Bringing together people with very different perspectives allowed us to explore points of consensus and contention in the joint conversations which pointed to potential solutions where changes could satisfy the needs of the diverse mix of users of the parking space in the neighbourhood.
How can we improve public space and parking in the neighbourhood?
The two supplementary research approaches gave us a rich collection of insights, suggestions and ideas as a basis to advise the project team of the local council on improvements to the design of public space and the parking situation in the future. Some of the recommendations were very tangible, like providing better signposting to alternative parking spots nearby, and improved markings on the street to show where you can safely walk after parking your car. Other recommendations were rooted in broader knowledge about what people prefer and need when they navigate public space, and how that can inform the longer term design of the neighbourhood and the communication about the upcoming changes.
Link to the news page (in Dutch) of the Municipality of Amsterdam.
Read our full report (in Dutch) here.
