2024-12-29T08:39:37-05:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/132962812/pedestrians-and-light-rail-retake-sydney-well-george-street-at-least Julia Ingalls 2015-07-28T19:28:00-04:00 >2019-07-10T20:29:30-04:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/8w/8wd8tkiieqtudcdi.jpg?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><p>The transformative effect of removing cars from a dedicated street or urban center and creating a pedestrian-friendly area isn't a new idea, but it's <a href="http://archinect.com/news/article/116577617/prince-charles-calls-to-reclaim-the-streets-from-cars-with-his-10-point-master-plan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a popular one</a>. Sydney, Australia has decided to repurpose its relatively trafficky George Street into an elegant shopping and walking area bisected by light rail, with design input from French architect Thomas Richez. According to <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/sydneys-light-rail-renowned-french-architect-thomas-richez-to-advise-on-design-20150727-gildif.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Sydney Morning Herald</a> Richez, who has overseen the development of numerous public spaces in Africa and Europe, is now working with the city to create a zone that would foster a more relaxed vibe among pedestrians. As he explains,&nbsp;"The idea is, a good tramway line&nbsp;is like a reserve, a pleasant place, whether people use the transportation system or not."</p> <p><img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/514x/n1/n1ksas4z1f6m352p.jpg"></p> <p><em>The tramway in Reims, with the cathedral in the background. (Photo: Richez Associes)</em></p> <p>Even in car-centric Los Angeles, institutions as varied as <a href="http://archinect.com/news/tag/15822/getty-center" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Getty Center </a>&nbsp;and commercial shopping cluster The Grove have employed similar non-pedestrian design strategi...</p>