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It’s the Little Things that Count…

Abstract

This paper will discuss the importance of detailed design decisions in the long term sustainability of any infrastructure system. It presents the concept of Universal Composition, first introduced by UCL’s new Universal Composition Laboratory (‘UCL-squared’) and emerging from the need to design in space and time for multiple senses towards the creation of more accessible, understandable and meaningful environments. It thus presents infrastructure design from the point of view of human perception, and argues the need to design for the senses in order to encourage sustainable behaviours concerning human mobility, transport and locational choice. After first explaining people-environment interactions, it discusses how the design of our urban infrastructure systems and environments can help stimulate our senses and thus behavioural change. Through two examples concerning bus stops implemented in London, it will explain how the role of both low and high tech technologies can help enhance interaction, improve accessibility and encourage usage. Thus, this paper aims to show that seemingly small details have a big role to play in the creation of infrastructure systems which enable, rather than inhibit, long term sustainable developmen

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