Urban passages for a softer mobility – ‘Architecture in Motion’ Conferences

Graduate in architecture, scenography and anthropology, Marc Barani is a member of the Academy of Fine Arts since 2018. His work reflects a wide variety of projects such as cultural facilities, educational buildings, housing, offices, bridges, gateways and works of art. For his achievements Marc Barani was awarded on several occasions (the Prix de l’Équerre d’Argent in 2008 ; the Grand Prix National de l’Architecture and the Golden Medal by the French Academy of Architecture in 2013). His multidisciplinary career has fostered an approach that seeks the right balance between architecture, scenography, design and landscaping.

Marc Barani’s series of conferences in China will discuss the architectural challenge of « soft mobility », i.e. non-motorized travels with little or no environmental impact, in sustainable cities. The transition to « soft mobility » do not only implies the means of transportation that are used but also requires to rethink the urban organization, in order to facilitate the use of these new transports.

How can we encourage citizens to use more bicycles and public transport, when it requires them more time and effort, in places that are often austere? How turn « soft mobility » into more attractive means of transportation thanks to urbanization ? Marc Barani suggests to give some thought to these issues which connect architecture with the field of urban mobility.

Making these “soft” transports attractive is possible by further organizing the city around them. The construction of multimodal poles, for example, allows users to easily rent a bike, or to drop it off to take a tram or a train. The solutions that city practitioners can bring to make cities livable are numerous. These include the development of pedestrian streets, bike paths, greenways, or underground.