A Pedestrian Rule and the Shortest Path: Pedestrian Routes in the Eastern Side of the Historical Centre of Turda City, Romania

Claudia Anamaria CHIFOR*¹, Radu Alexandru TONCA¹
* Corresponding author
¹ Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Cluj-Napoca, ROMANIA
E-mail: claudia.anamaria.chifor@gmail.com, radu.tonca@yahoo.com
Pages: 147-156. DOI: 10.19188/05JSSP022016

Cite: Chifor C. A., Tonca R. A. (2016), A Pedestrian Rule and the Shortest Path: Pedestrian Routes in the Eastern Side of the Historical Centre of Turda City, Romania. Journal of Settlements and Spatial Planning, 7(2), 147-156. DOI: 10.19188/05JSSP022016

Abstract. The urban footprint of each city reveals important aspects of its daily functioning, the way it is understood and used by its residents. The urban character can be primarily appreciated by clear routes, daily used by residents, which give particular connotations to spaces, not at all accidental. The purpose of this paper is, on the one hand, to analyze the existent central pedestrian network of Turda city and, on the other hand, to analyze the expansion possibilities in the Eastern island of the historical centre. The expansion of pedestrian network involves building new connections or reviving old ties that were closed due to poor urban interventions. The main result of the study consists in forming a detailed list of both the historic pedestrian crossings and of the existing or possible future ones. The analysis of each pedestrian route aims to present the most relevant historical issues, observe and highlight the current functioning problems and enunciate possible corrective measures for optimization or even elaborate new proposals. The actual situation of the Eastern side of the main square shows us that the lack of urban strategies and the lack of carefully urban planning can lead to serious obstructions concerning the good functioning of the pedestrian links. Nevertheless, the conclusion would be that, even with minimal interventions in the urban structure, the pedestrian network could be highly improved and extended. An actual urban project, based on studies like this one, which would revitalize the pedestrian network, could also significantly revive the tourist interest for the city centre.

K e y w o r d s:  identity, urban regeneration, pedestrian network revitalization, links and passages