Focus on streets

The Accordia development is a bold attempt to create relatively high-density, high-quality housing without conventional private gardens on a large urban infill site in Cambridge. Here we look at the design of the streets and evaluate how the street network is working in practice.

Grid street structure gives a sense of place

The key feature of the development is a central avenue, Aberdeen Avenue, following a line of ancient trees. Part of the character of the place is created by the use of mews streets at right angles to the avenue creating a strong grid street structure. These side streets have an urban feel, with paved surfaces shared by cars and pedestrians.

Another key feature of the design is the extensive use of non-private green space as an integral part of the development concept. In many cases houses back onto on to publicly accessible but semi-private space. It is early days in the life of this development and these areas are imaginatively planted and well maintained. Other houses back onto a large communal lawned green space with very little curtilege between the rear of their properties and a public walkway. Layouts in which houses back or front on to semi-public space have not proved to be particularly robust in other developments in the UK in the past. Such “confused” spaces tend to be unused and prone to neglect or alternatively attempts are made to close the semi-public place to public access to give a clearer definition of ownership to the space. Whether this will happen one day at Accordia remains to be seen.

The grid layout and the strong central axis of Aberdeen Avenue make it easy for visitors to find their way around, allowing good sightlines and helping those with mobility impairments to gauge distances. The appearance of the scheme is enhanced by the lack of carriageway markings, the subtle signage, and the fixing of some signs and lighting to the buildings rather than poles

Fear of through traffic hinders good connections

The council (prompted by local residents) required that the development had only one vehicular entrance so it is effectively a large but rectilinear cul-de-sac. This lack of connectivity is further compounded by the severing of any connections with the office scheme which was originally intended to form part of a range of uses on the site. This occurred due to late design changes and the site being sold off to a separate developer. The office use could have helped support other uses within the scheme. The lack of shops or other uses means residents are required to exit the development by walking or using a car to reach such services.

Unofficial parking harms the scheme

All the private houses have either integral garages (with elegant wooden roller doors) or individual, integral car courts which double as patio or garden space (with gates made of metal bars rather than doors, which should discourage their use for storage). In some cases these car courts are protected from the semi-public space by metal grilles, allowing passers-by to see right through the plot.

At present there is considerable parking on pavements, to the detriment of pedestrians and in particular people with disabilities where the unhelpful reduction in pavement width can prevent them from being able to move about safely. The scheme has been designed with limited on street parking and this has quickly become a point of contention for residents. Some of the parking is building contractors completing the scheme and some is by commuters parking for the nearby station. Enforcement will be needed to overcome the problem both in preventing outsiders using the parking within the scheme and also to improve provision for visitors.

Implementation of good street design from the design stage varies

Some of the intended character of Aberdeen Avenue’s shared surface has been lost in the execution. For example, a small square at the entrance, to be shared by cars and pedestrians, surfaced in distinctive pink and with a tree in the carriageway, has lost its colour and tree, and gained a line of bollards intended to prevent parking. In some other instances the attention to detail in designing the roads and shared spaces has not been adequate with some confusing changes from conventional street to shared surface on side roads to accommodate level changes that occurred during the design and build stage.

The use of different textures and tones in the street paving at Accordia provides useful tactile information to blind and partially sighted people. However, in some cases the positioning of tactile crossing points has been poorly judged. For example, at one point a wall at the boundary of the tactile paving pads may prove to be a hazard to a blind person who uses a long cane or navigates with the assistance of a guide dog. In other places crossings have been complicated by incorporating unnecessary bollards or positioning grates across the footway.

Commendable access for all to greenspace

Streets and paths at Accordia provide easy access to greenspace and informal leisure opportunities for all users. The street and path layout provides good access to a wildlife garden and a larger more natural greenspace, with easily accessible seating. However, there are few play areas with inclusively designed play equipment.

See Sustainable Cities for more on improving street design and layout