TITLE:
Introducing the 21st Century Boulevard: A Post-COVID Response to Urban Regeneration of Main Road Corridors
AUTHORS:
Peter Newman, Karlson Hargroves, Cheryl Desha, Parisa Izadpanahi
KEYWORDS:
Boulevard, Smart Technologies, Net Zero Corridors, Trackless Trams, Busker Factor
JOURNAL NAME:
Current Urban Studies,
Vol.9 No.4,
December
31,
2021
ABSTRACT: As city leaders contemplate the post-COVID-19 urban regeneration, Parisian Boulevards from the 17th Century
provide inspiration, from their combination of mobility with pedestrian, nature and place-based qualities. This
paper proposes a new concept called “21st Century Boulevards”
to support local and regional authorities in
achieving urban regeneration using such qualities together with new
technology. Four approaches are recommended to create 21st Century Boulevards: 1) enhancing road-based shared
transit systems such as electric trackless trams; 2) embedding
micro-mobility and autonomous shuttles for
end-of-trip integration at stations; 3) adopting new precinct-scale technologies
that enable Net Zero outcomes for station precincts such as renewable energy recharge hubs, and 4) implementing a smart
cities-based demand management
system. The human qualities of boulevards are outlined using new planning and design approaches. A key indicator of success would be to measure
the extent of a new parameter called the “Busker Factor”. The integration of
new technology and new planning to achieve centuries-old urban qualities is a regeneration opportunity with
multiple benefits for the main roads of all cities.