A few years ago, Buenos Aires began a program of pedestrian infrastructure improvement. Pedestrian priority is being implemented in the very central area (microcentro) – pedestrianisations, 10 km/h limitations, intersection redesigns through “New York type” measures: paint, posts and urban furniture, expanding the pedestrian’s domain and clarifying the movements –  see some illustrations on the City’s page. A pragmatic and ambitious actions plan, not fearing to reduce the road gauges in order to improve the space sharing between the motorized and the soft modes.

In this post I wanted to show the works being done at the moment at the Roca / Perú intersection. A redesign is planned for the whole intersection and includes the extension of the pedestrian infrastructure on the New York model. At first sight, an extremely interesting intervention for the soft modes.

On the spot, important pedestrian flows can be observed accross the intersection, in the axis of Perú street, between the San Telmo and Montserrat neighbourhoods (residential + activities) and the center, a very concentrated work and shopping area. The idea of the project was to simplify the functionment and to improve the pedestrian comfort. On my opinion, it is very apropriated and headed in the right direction, though in my opinion it does not address the main problem: the statue of president Roca and its fences occupy the middle of the intersection and are precisely located on the pedestrian desire line, cutting the Perú streat visually and physically. The final redesign will thus maintain indirect pedestrian routes. It is to be added, I think, that Roca is a very controversial former president, particularly known for having extermined the native populations living in Patagonia. So, my idea is that this project would have been complete with the removal of the statue and its fences and the creation of a real, lisible pedestrian North-South continuity.

 

This post is also available in: French