‘Shared Space’ is a good practice approach to transport planning which aims to reconcile people, places and transport in accordance with home zone principles.
The idea is to strike a balance between vehicles and everyone else who uses the street, while creating an attractive and interesting place that reflects local needs and activities. Sheils Flynn was appointed by Suffolk County Council to design and implement a Shared Space project in Ipswich Village which is now an international case study to promote and share best practice in this field. A series of high quality gateway spaces has been introduced in a degraded, nondescript and car-dominated urban area. Gateway markers and a unified design indicate the hierarchy of public spaces, discouraging casual parking and vandalism.
The proposals reflect the history of the area, juxtaposing imagery of marshlands and orchards with the surrounding urban context. Perceptions of Ipswich Village are being transformed, particularly for the local community who now feel they live in a place rather than a zone of transition. Sheils Flynn worked closely with artist Irene Rogan throughout the project.
