| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 建築與城鄉研究所 === 89 === This research has set up a goal to find out the causal factors that pedestrian space deteriorates and the structural restraints on pedestrian space itself. The author was also looking for the hidden meanings behind the chaos. The pedestrian space is constructed and constraint by the higher level in terms of urban transportation and environmental planning. This research starts from the discussion regarding the conflicts among people and vehicles nowadays in Taiwan that mainly are the result of the weak/none controls on the uses of private vehicles. By using analyzing methodology based on political economy, the author believes that the ambiguous definitions and unclear interactions among World System, Country, Society, and the Pedestrian Space create the presently poor-quality walking environment. The crisis on the pedestrian space is from that Taiwan has been following the paths of the dependent development deeply on the World System, and that has created such unhealthy transportation environment ignoring the critical spatial limitation in Taiwan.
In order to be part of the Capitalism System, Taiwan government had devoted on economic constructions in the early years. It edged out the development of public transportation consequently. Besides, the economic assistants from the United States transferred the techniques along with values of thinking, so that the Taiwan authority designed and developed cities by introducing improper automobile-oriented styles that could not fit on the local. Insufficient public transportation services also encouraged American-styled automobile culture and the use of motorcycle in the informal sector. People has had left with fewer and fewer alternatives but relying largely on private vehicles. The country and societies dominated with using vehicles and ignored public transportation has been created. The country and societies strengthened each other to a solid status to decide the distribution and use of urban spaces. The worsening use of private vehicle and the insufficient off-street parking spaces lead to a serious parking problem. The parking problems happen both on the street or alley used by the cars and the sidewalk or the arcade occupied by motorcycles which endangers the rights and interests of people.
The concepts of “Humanism” and “ Transit- Oriented Development” have been paid much attention in the past few years, which can benefit remarkably the development of pedestrian space. Nevertheless, the limitation of several sub-systems, e.g., bus, bicycle, or pavement systems, and the ineffective integration of rapid transit system creates a fragmented public transportation system; on the other hand, the authority did not only effectively decrease the use of private vehicle, but also continuously constructed new expressways. The authority provided parking spaces with cheap parking fee, and sit watching the parking problems generated by motorcycles. Not only they potentially encouraged the use of private vehicle to make public transportation less competitive, but also they maintain the space distribution and uses dominated by private vehicles. In another word, the poor-quality pedestrian space is not improved greatly.
The structural difficult positions for the pedestrian space are the following; 1) The country and the society do not have clear understanding on the pedestrian space and the actual meaning of the right of pedestrian; 2) “Vehicle-first and pedestrian-second environment has been internalized as a part of values and behavior modes of the society and to influence the distribution of public resources. It is getting more difficult to control the growth of private vehicle market, so as difficult to change the urban space distribution pattern; 3) Off-street parking (especially for motorcycles) problems cannot be dealt with effectively by the authority; and, 4) It is difficult to deterrence the use the public spaces or resources as private property by law enforcement.
The right of pedestrian has not been respected in the modern society as important human rights, which seems to be a characteristic of Taiwan as under-developing country. For those groups who need the public transportation, including senior citizens, physical disabilities, children, low-income groups, and women, a integral and safe pedestrian system is much more meaningful. The rights for private vehicle users, normally the people with higher social or economic level, have been taken care for a long time. Vehicle-oriented space structure cannot be change effectively. It means that the authority tend to compromise with the stronger social group, and unable to create an equitable transportation environment. The current mechanism appears merely the desire of citizenry simplified by the function of master stream of the society. It disregards the difference between social groups, and to rationalize the existing injustice in this country. Therefore under the competition of using public resources, the society follows the jungle rules to eliminate and sacrifice the actual need for the weaker groups.
Under such logics the pedestrian space could only be guaranteed around sightseeing streets or the areas with higher commercial interests. The ordinary streets or community alleys are still occupied by motor vehicles, and that seriously twists the true meaning of pedestrian spaces.
|
|---|
