Analyzing the Criticalities of Public Spaces to Promote Sustainable Mobility

The massive spread of private cars has led to the progressive reduction of public space quality. Public space is one of the city components necessary to give life to the city itself and should have the characteristics of quality, safety, and accessibility. With a view to the sustainable development of the urban environment, these needs should be met through targeted interventions, with particular attention to the integration between urban planning and mobility. Therefore, in this paper, we study the urban regeneration of public space in favor of sustainable mobility. A methodology for the definition of the cognitive framework in urban regeneration processes is proposed. The methodology is based on three different strongly interconnected phases: the first phase is the analysis of the urban context, the second is the analysis of the perception of space by the user, while the third and final phase proposes some preparatory solutions for the subsequent design phase. The technical analyzes are based on observations on the site, measurements, and the use of thematic maps. On the contrary, the perception phase is based on the direct involvement of citizens through a survey. The methodology is applied to the case study of the San Bartolomeo district of the city of Brescia. The results show a connection between the technical characteristics of the road and the perception of space by the users. Furthermore, they are useful for the design of a public space weighted to the needs encountering.