In a new pre-study led by Lars Marcus, and funded by Chalmer’s Area of Advance Transport, we aim to develop a common understanding on urban streets, aligning the ontologies of liveable streets and traffic safety.
Considering that the urban design, the traffic planning, and the road users’ perspectives can be very different (for example, a building in urban design can be understood as an attractor but in the traffic context an obstacle; a roadside fence as an impediment or a safety system), a vital first step for a productive exchange between the disciplines would require alignment of ontological differences, looking at the built environment, its agents, their interaction with the environment and with each other. This step is also central for the development of future autonomous urban environments.