perception of time

new resources

• The Option of Urbanism by Christopher B. Leinberger
• Retrofitting Suburbia by Ellen Dunham-Jones
• Cities and the Wealth of Nations by Jane Jacobs

an insight

Simply getting more information about the journey can speed the clock back up again. Take the express bus station on Boulevard du Montparnasse, just a couple of blocks from Britton’s apartment. There’s a covered seating area, but also a prominent screen at the entrance, showing exactly when the next two express buses will arrive. This subtle change in infrastructure is a powerful psychological intervention. Just having access to real-time arrival data causes riders to feel calmer and more in control. After arrival countdown clocks were mounted in the London Underground, people told surveyors that the wait time felt shorter by a quarter. The clocks also make people feel safer traveling at night, partly by giving them more confidence in the system.

Happy City, Charles Montgomery

snapshot

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