The first thought that comes to mind regarding shared spaces would be the safety issue. One might think that such shared spaces are less safe due to the lack of traffic lights and signs. However, the removal of traditional distinction between the footpath and road actually encourages motorists and pedestrians to engage more carefully with their surroundings. For example, motorists instinctively slow down when they make eye contact with pedestrians. By allowing road users to pay more attention to their surroundings instead of the signs and traffic lights, it creates an overall safer environment.
In addition, vehicles accessing these shared spaces must adhere to a slower speed limit of an average of 15-20km/h. Also, accessibility zones run along the building edges to provide safe and easy movement through the space. These zones are lined with linear tactile paving strips to help guide vision impaired people.
Having a shared space allows for flexibility of land use. At periods when there are less motorists, pedestrians are given more access to use the space freely. In addition, shared space bring about significant environmental benefits. Removal of traffic lights will ensure motorists are more aware of their surroundings, thus keeping their speeds slow. This reduces congestion, which in turn lowers
vehicle emissions.
Apart from shared public spaces, other shared spaces included shared homes (Airbnb), shared retail spaces (flea markets) and shared work spaces.
An example of a shared retail space is Scape, located at Orchard Road. On weekdays, the open areas are kept empty to allow flow of people to use the space freely. However, on weekends, tenants would set up temporary stalls. The entire area can hold about 80 temporary stalls, with stalls selling clothes, novelty items electronic gadgets and accessories. More often than not, these flea markets encourage tenants to put up their preloved items for sale. Items sold at flea markets are typically a fraction of their retailed price. Such temporary stalls not only increases the economic activity, but also encourages people to reuse apparels that are in good condition. Such stalls also increase efficiency as they use space that would otherwise be empty.
Recently, there has been an introduction of shared work spaces. Examples include The Hive and ShareDesk. These collaborative work spaces provide facilities for freelancers, self-employed people or people who do not have a fixed place for work (such as social media personalities). Benefits of collaborative work spaces include networking with people of other professions and connections. Especially for new startups, renovating an office space may be extremely costly. Thus, switching to a collaborative work space saves money.
Apart from shared public spaces, other shared spaces included shared homes (Airbnb), shared retail spaces (flea markets) and shared work spaces.
An example of a shared retail space is Scape, located at Orchard Road. On weekdays, the open areas are kept empty to allow flow of people to use the space freely. However, on weekends, tenants would set up temporary stalls. The entire area can hold about 80 temporary stalls, with stalls selling clothes, novelty items electronic gadgets and accessories. More often than not, these flea markets encourage tenants to put up their preloved items for sale. Items sold at flea markets are typically a fraction of their retailed price. Such temporary stalls not only increases the economic activity, but also encourages people to reuse apparels that are in good condition. Such stalls also increase efficiency as they use space that would otherwise be empty.
Recently, there has been an introduction of shared work spaces. Examples include The Hive and ShareDesk. These collaborative work spaces provide facilities for freelancers, self-employed people or people who do not have a fixed place for work (such as social media personalities). Benefits of collaborative work spaces include networking with people of other professions and connections. Especially for new startups, renovating an office space may be extremely costly. Thus, switching to a collaborative work space saves money.
Lastly, shared homes are also increasingly popular today. Environmental benefits of Airbnbs to hotels include a lower water usage, less consumption of energy, and a higher usage of public transport. Living in a home (rather than a hotel) reduces water usage because we are responsible for reusing or washing our own towels. This would save on water usage because we are taking the activity into our own hands - where we wash these towels ourselves, rather than leaving it to housekeeping. In addition, hotels use more electricity as lights and air-conditioning are constantly on. Compared to in homes, we are usually less likely to switch on lights and air-conditioning if it was not necessary. Lastly, users of Airbnb are more likely to rely on public transport than on taxis. Compared to hotels, Airbnbs usually do not have taxis readily available outside the apartment. Thus, users of Airbnb homes are more likely to navigate around the area using public transport. This would reduce carbon emissions since there is an increased use of public transport. Hence, Airbnb tends to be more sustainable compared to traditional hotels.
http://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/en/planspoliciesprojects/councilprojects/sharedspaces/Pages/home.aspx
http://www.pps.org/reference/shared-space/
https://www.be.unsw.edu.au/sites/default/files/upload/pdf/schools_and_engagement/resources/_notes/5A2_44.pdf
http://greenlivingideas.com/2016/03/02/is-airbnb-more-sustainable-than-hotels/
http://blog.airbnb.com/environmental-impacts-of-home-sharing/
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