How to live comfortably in a metropolis? 8 factors that make the environment comfortable and peaceful
Miscellaneous / / May 29, 2023
1. Availability
A comfortable environment cannot do without well-designed public transport routes and wide sidewalks with an even surface. If they are not there, the journey from one point of the city to another will turn into not the most pleasant quest. For example, the lack of direct bus or tram routes can increase travel time to work. This will force people to leave their homes earlier and waste hours on the road that could be put to good use. And pitted footpaths in rainy weather will be a test code-named "Keep things clean."
The main thing is to ensure accessibility for everyone, including people with limited mobility: people with disabilities, the elderly, pregnant women, citizens with small children. To do this, wherever necessary, ramps, elevators and ramps with a comfortable angle of inclination should be installed. It is also necessary to monitor the coverage of walking paths: voluminous relief, broken tiles or a pit will make them unsuitable for wheelchairs.
2. Availability of public spaces
Well-maintained squares, parks and embankments provide more scope for choosing leisure activities and encourage people to spend their free time outdoors rather than in a shopping center. Plus, they help you socialize. fight with the loneliness and stress inherent in city dwellers - to find peace away from car noise, illumination and high-rise buildings.
According to the principles of urbanism, the residents themselves should participate in the creation of public spaces. Their opinion should be taken into account in all matters: from the choice of territory to its filling. The townspeople will have to relax and have fun there, so it is also better for them to choose what to add to the park - sun loungers, a platform with exercise equipment or a mini-golf course.
Influencing the creation of public spaces is not difficult. For this, it is not even necessary to go to the local administration or public organizations. The national project helps to quickly connect to the improvementHousing and urban environment». Thanks to him, the All-Russian online voting for the improvement of new squares, parks, embankments, pedestrian streets and courtyards is held - the winners receive funds for the implementation of the project. Every year, about 5,000 objects in 1,500 municipalities take part in the voting.
To improve public spaces in your region next year, you just need to go to the website za.gorodsreda.ru, find your region and choose the project that you like the most. Any resident of Russia over the age of 14 can do this. Voting will last until May 31st.
Vote
3. An abundance of greenery
Trees, shrubs and lawns are important for several reasons. They help improve air quality, reduce noise levels and give a feeling of closeness to nature. The latter is necessary for residents of megacities to maintain psychological comfort.
Walking in green isolated areas, such as a city forest or park, helps fight with negative emotions. And they are able to shift experiences into the background and even reduce headaches. And for such a beneficial effect, it is enough to get out there for only a couple of hours a week. But it is better that the green public space is located away from highways, otherwise the noise of the road will break through and prevent nature from doing its job.
4. Aesthetics
Comfortable urban environment needed design code - a common unique style that unifies the space. Without it, there is a lot of visual noise around: catchy multi-format signs, leaflets pasted everywhere, huge billboards. The abundance of unnecessary details harms not only aesthetics. It can negatively affect the internal state of residents: a constant glut of information can drive you into stress. Purposefully go for a walk through the streets that make you feel uncomfortable, hardly anyone wants to.
Out-of-the-box details also distract pedestrians and drivers, increasing the risk of accidents.
The design code is not limited to the elimination of visual debris. It also manifests itself in the choice of the appearance of flower beds, benches and sidewalks, in the uniform design of address plates on houses. During the development of the code, historical, cultural, and climatic features of the territory are usually taken into account - this forms the brand of the city, makes it recognizable and attractive to tourists. For example, the design code might include ornaments and patterns that were used by indigenous people, or shades found in local nature.
5. illumination
Good lighting of roads, sidewalks, yards and public spaces is important for safety. Due to the dim light along the roadway, drivers will be less able to notice pedestrians, and a broken light bulb at the entrance will make it uncomfortable to return home in the evening or at night.
The placement of lanterns, illuminations and other elements should also meet aesthetics. A design that is out of the picture will create visual noise. And the wrong choice of the temperature of the lamps or their brightness will damage the appearance of houses, squares and public spaces.
Format and amount of lighting in different urban areas should be different. For example, roads need strong light, while pedestrian roads need medium intensity. In squares and parks, the brightness level is usually reduced even more so that the connection with nature is not lost and the starry sky can be seen. The situation is the same with courtyards: the abundance of light pouring through the windows can interfere with a comfortable sleep.
6. Purity
Lack of litter and clean roads don't just make the city prettier. Candy wrappers, bottles and dirt lying around are perceived by the brain as irritants that only add stress. Constant observation of such a picture negatively affects life satisfaction in general.
To prevent this from happening, there should be enough bins in the city - so the garbage will be less likely to end up on the ground. It is the task of local services to empty filled tanks in a timely manner, wash roads, monitor the condition of lawns, that is, in general, keep the streets clean. But residents can also join in its implementation. For example, participating in subbotniks. As independent, just taking a walk with a bag for lying around packaging and bottles, and mass.
For example, on April 22, according to the national project “Housing and urban environment»The All-Russian subbotnik was held. Citizens from different regions helped make yards, parks, streets and alleys cleaner, updated the paint on fences and other objects in need of cosmetic repairs, planted trees and flowers. For example, in the Ulyanovsk region, more than 30,000 people joined the subbotnik, and together they put more than 3,000 territories in order. But on April 22, the subbotniks did not stop - for example, in the Sverdlovsk region they will last until the end of May.
Making your city more comfortable is real not only with the help of rakes and brushes. For example, this year, almost 85,000 volunteers are helping citizens take part in the All-Russian online voting for new improvement projects. They provide an opportunity for residents to vote on the spot via a volunteer’s tablet or smartphone, and also inform about the objects planned for improvement.
7. Safety
Comfort city it should be safe for both physical and mental health. Therefore, it is equally important:
- Decorated roads. Traffic lights and signs are not hidden by bushes, pedestrian crossings are visible and illuminated.
- Air and Water Purity Standards. Rules and practices to protect residents from factory emissions and other pollutants.
- Design of houses and streets. Buildings are next to trees. Buildings do not block all light and do not compress space.
- Technologies. For example, cameras in public places. The presence of such not only facilitates the disclosure of crimes, but also can reduce their number.
8. Continuous development
The city must change along with the inhabitants and meet their current requirements. If the metropolis acquires new areas, it is necessary to develop additional transport routes. And develop infrastructure nearby: add hospitals, schools, kindergartens.
The condition of the objects already existing on the territory also needs to be constantly monitored. For example, promptly restore worn-out facades of buildings and add objects and sites for recreation and development to public spaces.