Chris Norström on ui, ux, design, ideas, and storytelling.

In my previous 2 posts [The Great Cul-De-Sac Problem] and [The Liquid Grid Street Layout] we discovered that people LOVE living in a cul-de-sac (dead end street). There’s no traffic on your street except locals, it’s just you and your neighbors, it feels safer, more hidden, more maze-like for strangers, and gives off a “cute little village where everyone knows each other” vibe that us white people of European ancestry subconsciously crave. We also discovered the downside. Cul-De-Sacs use up massive amounts of land, promote car use over walking and biking, create traffic bottlenecks, and while they do reward some neighbors with less traffic, they severely punish all other neighbors with heavier traffic and pollution. read…

I believe in 2012 we’ll see the rise of the ‘Scooter Commuter’. At least that’s what I want. We’re sitting here, talking about global warming, the rising cost of gas, pollution, traffic, and how badly we need electric vehicles. Little do most people know, we ALREADY have tried and true electric vehicles, the batteries don’t explode, they don’t cost a fortune, and pretty much anyone can afford one. I bought one and used it shortly before having to return it due to a local ordinance in Orlando making it illegal to ride them on the street or sidewalk. read…

Reversing urban sprawl and bringing back city living is going to take some major changes. Once people discover the joy of a suburban neighborhood, despite some serious drawbacks, it’s hard to make them go back to living in the city. So the city must change and evolve and adapt in order to compete with ‘Orange County’. And I believe, it all starts with a new street layout.   read…

“Why are we so damn stupid?”, that’s what you’ll ask yourself after you see what I’m about to show you. Now, I’m not entirely against suburbs, cul-de-sacs, and curvillinear loop street layouts. I can see why people (myself included) like them and what they find attractive about them. But, things have gotten so out of hand, that the damage they cause never be fixed and is permanant. Still, there something we can do to alleviate their side effects. read…

You’ve seen them on the side of buses and building windows. ‘Window perfs’ allow ads and art put on windows to be seen by people outside yet is see-through to those who are inside. So what if we took industrial strength vinyl used for billboards, made millions of golf ball sized holes in it, printed forests and rivers on one side and printed a black backing on the other side? You’d give everyone living in high-rises a beautiful view (and everyone below a tiny bit of shade from the sun). And let me not remind you how important greenery is, the more you see it every day the healthier, happier, and less stressed out you are. We can also cover up all those ugly parking lots, power stations, and junk yards. read…

Massive asphalt parking lots in front of Walmarts and Targets might be full during the holiday season but are usually half to 2/3 empty during the rest of the year. And they’re also a huge waste of space and lack greenery. Yet at the same time, there aren’t enough parks around our neighborhoods, and the ones we do have are usually… not very well maintained. So what if businesses set up and maintained parks in the middle of their mostly un-used parking lots? Not only would it fulfill a need for more greenery but when park visitors need to go to the bathroom or eat, they’ll head straight for the store and become customers who would have otherwise never been. Also park visitors might curiously wander into the shops to see what’s on sale. read…