26 UNIT 03 | Coming home Read the text on garden streets, then choose the correct options to complete the summary below. READING 12 Garden streets If the great urban tragedy of the Covid-19 pandemic was losing the collective experiences that make big cities great – gigs, museums, restaurants, shops, and more – then its unexpected benefit was that it made us aware of the overlooked treasures of our immediate neighbourhoods, including the tiny areas of green respite we only discovered during that time. Building on this idea, the concept of garden streets proposes to make the most of local neighbourhoods by turning them into greener, leafier, park-like environments. In many cities, most green space is locked away in private gardens, effectively planting inequality into the built environment. Meanwhile, roughly 65% of the public realm in the UK is dedicated to vehicles, even though cars remain stationary for about 80% of the time. Front gardens are often occupied by bins, and there is little public space for socialising and relaxation. Garden streets would turn these percentages on their head by creating a shared space for pedestrians and cyclists and restricting through-traffic. Trees provide shade, on-street parking is reduced, and with a centralised waste disposal system, front gardens can become green. Streets are turned into “miniature greenbelts” surrounding homes, thereby improving public health and reducing the strain on hospital services. Garden streets also provide space for people to meet and children to play. However, eliminating cars entirely is not an option as people with disabilities and certain deliveries rely on them. “But if you can free up that space, and if you can control the amount of traffic that goes through those streets – which in many cases actually isn’t very much – we feel it will be an opportunity to create a decent public ground,” says Bruno Moser, an urban designer. “And not everybody is lucky enough to have their private garden.” Summary: The pandemic highlighted the value of (1) local neighbourhoods / big city attractions. Garden streets aim to (2) turn streets into greener, park-like places / make streets wider for more traffic. Currently, much urban space is dominated by (3) cars and private gardens / playgrounds and recreational areas, which limits public access and social interaction. Garden streets would give priority to (4) station wagons and delivery vans / pedestrians and cyclists. They would also (5) add trees and reduce parking / remove trees to allow for more bins. The goal is to create shared spaces that (6) support health and community life / keep people apart and isolated. Cars can’t be removed completely because (7) they are still needed in some cases / people refuse to walk or cycle. Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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