ZIP ACTIVATION OF OUR STREETS

Jihyun David has designed a series of new street furniture inspired by msterdammertjes and the dutch bike’s culture in the hope to recapture the city streets and remind local residence of its importance as a social rather that a people traffic domain. The objectives of Zip are simple and as follows:

• Zip is about Amsterdam. By combining two of the symbols of Amsterdam, bikes and red bollards,  it creates a new icon of Amsterdam’s design.

• Zip is Fun. It’s fun to ride it and it’s Leuk to take a picture on it!

• Zip is about Re-Use. Low footprint on the environment, recycling,  are in the DNA of the project

• Zip It’s about re-discovering public space. By providing comfort and fun, ZIP can transform an empty space into an attractive spot.

• ZIP is for people and not for cars.  It invites people to consider the importance of the street as a social space instead of a mere traffic domain.

• Zip is temporary & nomad.

• ZIP is a project by Jihyun David

The Constructor’s Design Challenge Winners…..but will any of these replace your car?

As someone who has momentarily just brought a new folding bike in an attempt to avoid the expensive commuter costs around London and avoid driving schools while also attempting to keep fit, I was fascinated to come across some innovative new bike designs in a recent Oregan Manifest.

They featured all sort of fascinating designs including electric pedalling, increased storage, retro-reflective powder coating etc. If I was a bike enthusiast I would definitely be shopping around, rather than picking something off eBay.

However, with cycling increasing across the capital, this article has made me question why I have not seen a bit more variety in design away from the Brompton and Boris bikes and the usual. One thing that struck me about my recent purchase is the lack of space offered for storage, this would be great. The fact that the winner has come up with the inclusion of an  electric pedalling system has led me to think whether this would be enough to get people out of their cars and for new cyclists like myself to think more intuitively about the type of bike to get and how it should serve me in such a busy city.