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Ravenswood Home Zone
03 April 2012
In comparison the Ravenswood estate in Ipswich which is a more traditional road layout following the methodology found in such text as the Norfolk Design Guide, has a tidier feel to it and is not dominated by the presence of parking. It does however have a Home Zone area and again this contrast with Rapier Street is the lack of cars all over the place and it does feel neater and better designed, the imposition between public and private space, between street and front door is far simpler. This simplicity may not be everyone’s cup of tea as in places there is a lack of buffer zone meaning the chances of someone walking by and being able to see into your front room is more of an issue. This is not always the case as for some buildings there is a defined front space with railings and others are set back from the ‘roadway’ with public green space. One major issue with Ravenswood however is the lack of coherence in overall street plan which is to do with the traditional ideas of residential setting out rather than any Shared Space principals. There are a lot of routes through for vehicle and pedestrian which could have been simplified and made for defined. It is very easy to drive round without a clue of where you are heading to and no real understanding of the layout of the area, it is all too easy to feel like you have driven or walked past a house before only to find out that in truth you are in an entirely different close of road altogether.