Hans Monderman
Encyclopedia
Hans Monderman was a Dutch
road traffic engineer
and innovator. He was recognized for
radically challenging criteria used to evaluate engineering solutions for street design. His work compelled transportation planners and highway engineers to look afresh at the way people and technology relate to each other.
His most famous design approach is Shared Space
, also known as designing for negotiation or Shared Streets. Monderman found that the traffic efficiency and safety of urban streets improved when the street and surrounding public space was redesigned to encourage each person to negotiate their movement directly with others. Shared Space designs typically call for removing regulatory traffic control features (such as kerbs, lane markings, signs and lights
) and replacing intersections
with roundabout
s.
, or "Living Street" project, which originated from a basically unplanned citizen initiative in Delft
in 1968.
degree in Traffic Planning
for outstanding achievements in the field(s) of traffic engineering
, urban design
, consultancy and project management
.
In 2005 he was nominated for the World Technology Award
for the Environment
and gave a presentation on his work in a speech to the formal conference and awards ceremony in October 2005 in San Francisco.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
road traffic engineer
Traffic engineering (transportation)
For the engineering of communications and computer networks, see Teletraffic engineering.Traffic engineering is a branch of civil engineering that uses engineering techniques to achieve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods on roadways...
and innovator. He was recognized for
radically challenging criteria used to evaluate engineering solutions for street design. His work compelled transportation planners and highway engineers to look afresh at the way people and technology relate to each other.
His most famous design approach is Shared Space
Shared space
Shared space is an urban design concept aimed at integrated use of public spaces. It encourages traffic engineers, urban planners and experts from other fields to consult with users of public space when planning and designing streets and squares in both built and non-built environments...
, also known as designing for negotiation or Shared Streets. Monderman found that the traffic efficiency and safety of urban streets improved when the street and surrounding public space was redesigned to encourage each person to negotiate their movement directly with others. Shared Space designs typically call for removing regulatory traffic control features (such as kerbs, lane markings, signs and lights
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
) and replacing intersections
Intersection (road)
An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...
with roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
s.
The "Monderman Model"
Monderman took it as a given that motorized traffic will remain an essential feature of European economies and their spatial fabric for several generations – and in effect has taken this as his technical and policy target: a problem that simply will not go away. Against this background, he reviewed technologies and practices of street design, and stripped away those he felt insufficient or counter-productive. One of the better known of Monderman's accomplishments is the Dutch WoonerfWoonerf
A woonerf in the Netherlands and Flanders is a street where pedestrians and cyclists have legal priority over motorists. The techniques of shared spaces, traffic calming, and low speed limits are intended to improve pedestrian, bicycle, and automobile safety.-By country:In 1999 the Netherlands had...
, or "Living Street" project, which originated from a basically unplanned citizen initiative in Delft
Delft
Delft is a city and municipality in the province of South Holland , the Netherlands. It is located between Rotterdam and The Hague....
in 1968.
Career highlights
- From 1969 as a civil engineer project leader infrastructure constructions and controller traffic safety at the Province of Fryslân
- From 1979 consultant traffic safety at Regional Traffic Safety Commission (accident analysis, road engineering, speed reduction measures); from then on developing and bringing into practise on several spots in Province of Fryslân Shared Space approach.
- From 1996 part time traffic planner municipality of Smallingerland (Fryslân)
- 1999 to 2002 policy consultant province of Groningen (integration of traffic and landscape)
- From 2002 programme manager of integration programme (spatial, landscape and traffic planning) in DrentheDrentheDrenthe is a province of the Netherlands, located in the north-east of the country. The capital city is Assen. It is bordered by Overijssel to the south, Friesland to the west, Groningen to the north, and Germany to the east.-History:Drenthe, unlike many other parts of the Netherlands, has been a...
.
Honours
Monderman received his Honorary Doctor of PhilosophyDoctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree in Traffic Planning
Transportation planning
Transportation planning is a field involved with the evaluation, assessment, design and siting of transportation facilities .-Models and Sustainability :...
for outstanding achievements in the field(s) of traffic engineering
Traffic engineering (transportation)
For the engineering of communications and computer networks, see Teletraffic engineering.Traffic engineering is a branch of civil engineering that uses engineering techniques to achieve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods on roadways...
, urban design
Urban design
Urban design concerns the arrangement, appearance and functionality of towns and cities, and in particular the shaping and uses of urban public space. It has traditionally been regarded as a disciplinary subset of urban planning, landscape architecture, or architecture and in more recent times has...
, consultancy and project management
Project management
Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, and managing resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end , undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value...
.
In 2005 he was nominated for the World Technology Award
World Technology Award
The World Technology Awards are presented annually by The World Technology Network at its World Technology Summit to individuals and corporations achieving significant, lasting progress in categories pertaining to science, technology, the arts, and design...
for the Environment
and gave a presentation on his work in a speech to the formal conference and awards ceremony in October 2005 in San Francisco.
External links
- A brief biography New Mobility Agenda
- About Shared Space Shared Space Institute, Drachten, The Netherlands
- Obituary in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- "The Traffic Guru" by Tom Vanderbilt, The Wilson Quarterly