At present policy development regarding pedestrian needs is generally problem oriented, ad hoc and rather fragmented. Following transport, urban planning and safety management, where a quality oriented systems approach is now State-of-the-Art, it is expected that pedestrian quality can also be improved substantially by a dedicated systems approach. In 2006 the COST 358 Pedestrians’ Quality Needs (PQN) project was started for developing and substantiating such an approach. The project networks 20 European countries, 49 research organisations and over 70 researchers supporting yours truly as PhD student and chair of the Action. The aims of the PQN project are to identify what people need for their safe and agreeable mobility in public space, to relate those needs to structural and functional interventions and policy making, and to show the added value of a proactive systems approach compared to the usual reactive and sectoral approaches (Methorst, 2006). In the view of the PQN project fulfillment of needs and wants can be examined from complementary 3 perspectives: functionality (first order needs), perception (second order needs) and durability and future prospects (third order needs). The cumulated knowledge will be integrated into a 'template' for policy development for all stakeholders. The project started with the compilation of Country Reports on the current pedestrians’ situation, publications, research projects and the general atmosphere. At the same time steps were taken to develop a conceptual framework and an outline for further work. At the ICTCT-Workshop 2007 in Valencia and WALK21 in Toronto 2007 an introduction to the study was presented. In the current paper progress with regard to the conceptualisation and substantiating of a systems approach to the issue will be presented. An outline for the output of the project is now available. This paper summarises the thinking behind that outline. (Author/publisher) This publication may be accessed by Internet users at: http://www.ictct.org/workshop.php?workshop_nr=26
Samenvatting