Mobilities Design in Malmö

Over the weekend, my boyfriend and I took the 30-minute train ride across the Øresund and visited the Swedish City of Malmö for the day. I was hard-pressed to avoid noticing the mobilities designed… 

Malmö Central Station

The wayfinding throughout the station was impressive! The signage is incredibly clear and repeats itself consistently so that passengers entering from each platform can easily find their way as soon as they enter the main corridor.

(12/16/2013 | Wayfinding in Malmö Central Station | Credit: Cat Silva)

Just outside of the station, intermodal transportation is supported in two primary ways. Individuals existing the station to the West immediately see bicycle parking.

(12/16/2013 | Bicycle Parking at Malmö Central Station | Credit: Cat Silva)

And those existing the station from toward the South come across a bus terminal, completed with shelters and a platform where passengers can wait for their bus connection. Not shown well in this photo, there is also a two-way bicycle track just south of the bus terminal.

(12/16/2013 | Malmö Central Station Bus Terminal | Credit: Cat Silva)

Walking Around

Also common in Denmark, there is signage provided to pedestrians, letting them know when to use the sidewalk and when they have equal rights to use the street. The sign on the left informs pedestrians that they can step off the sidewalk and tells cars that they must yield to non-motorized road users. The diagonal red line on the sign in the photo on the left tells everyone that pedestrians should return to the sidewalk and drivers have priority use of the streets. 

(12/16/2013 | Shared Space Enter/Exit Signage in Malmö | Credit: Cat Silva)

Both along the streets and on paths through the park, bollards have been placed to guide pedestrians around the city. They point to walking paths, distance to destinations, and signs advertising the health benefits f walking.

(12/16/2013 | Pedestrian Wayfinding Bollards in Malmö | Credit: Cat Silva)

Local Bicycle Infrastructure

I found bicycle wayfinding installed in the city centre and along park paths and quite like the look of the signage. Signs are installed at a height visible to riders and pedestrians alike, and the blades are large enough to easily be legible for passers by. The largest downside to these signs is that no distance is printed on the signs.

(12/16/2013 | Bicycle Wayfinding Signage in Malmö | Credit: Cat Silva)

The infrastructure for bicyclists was interesting. At times, riders were on the street and at other times riders are provided off-street paths adjacent to the road.

(12/16/2013 | Malmö Central Station Wayfinding | Credit: Cat Silva)

Along side one bicycle lane that is at the same grade as roadway traffic, bollards are installed to protect bicyclists from passing cars.

(12/16/2013 | Bollards Protect the Bicycle Lane on Malmöhusvägen Malmö | Credit: Cat Silva)

Very interestingly, many of the off-street bicycle paths are two-way paths located - where riders going both directions used the same. In some places, I noticed the same two-way path was on both sides of the road, and in others it was only located on one side. I didn't try riding a bicycle during our visit, but I'm curious how easy it is to figure out when it is one- or two-ways and if it is difficult to know which side of the street to be on.

(12/16/2013 | Two-Way Bicycle Track in Malmö | Credit: Cat Silva)

These two-way paths are separated from the road and share the same space as the sidewalk. Both the pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure is often at the same grade. Despite signage like in the photo on the left and pavement markings like those in the photo on the right, it was not a rare occurrence to see a bicyclist riding on the sidewalk instead of the bicycle infrastructure.

(12/16/2013 | Bicyclists Using Sidewalks in Malmö | Credit: Cat Silva)

Although it was not ubiquitous in the city centre, there were some very quality bicycle parking facilities located in front of some residences in Malmö. In the photo below, the visible parking spots are for the business located in the ground floor of the mixed use buildings, with additional space available behind the stone wall under the shelters.

(12/16/2013 | Residential Bicycle Parking Västra Varvsgatan in Malmö | Credit: Cat Silva)

In the new neighborhood of Bo01, located to the west of the Torso Tower, a nice amenity is provided to locals. Signed with the word "Luft" (air), there s a bicycle air pump located on the north-south portion of Salongsgaten.

(12/16/2013 | Bicycle Air Pump in Bo01 in Malmö | Credit: Cat Silva)

Local Bus System

At major bus stops, like the stop near the Turning Torso Tower, there are fantastic real-time display showing bus arrival times. These signs displays are tall, easy to read, and lets waiting passengers know if they should relax in the shelter or stand ready with their bus pass in hand.

 (12/16/2013 | Turning Torso Bus Stop in Malmö | Credit: Cat Silva)

One small detail we noticed was that the minor bus stop signs display the same green color as the buses themselves. And at this particular stop, notice that there are five bicycle parking spots available, encouraging intermodal transportation!

 (12/16/2013 | Bus Stop on Mariedalsvägen in Malmö | Credit: Cat Silva)

Materiality Designs Mobilities

What struck me the most about the transportation infrastructure in Malmö was the use of different materials to guide individuals through the road network. Of course there was signage and some grade separation, but the city seems to have placed highest weight on using different types of materials and different colored stones to design how the roadways are used. In the photo below, the sign posts and bicycle pavement marking signal that path connecting to the sidewalk is meant for bicyclists. Although there is no physical separation and the sidewalk is at the same grade as the bicycle path, users know which space belongs to the bicyclists because a different type of material is used where pedestrians and bicyclists are meant to be.

(12/16/2013 | Bicycle Track at the Same Grade as Sidewalk in Malmö | Credit: Cat Silva)

In the Bo01 neighborhood, the space that is residential and private is marked with yellow-tinted bricks. Where this neighborhood meets the road, red bricks are used where pedestrians should be and the roadway is paved with darker stones. When crossing from one colored brick to the other, there is a distinct feeling that it is a "different space", as you move from the more private space to the slightly more open and public space outside of the residential core.

(12/16/2013 | Material Divides Space in Malmö | Credit: Cat Silva)

In the city centre, many roads are entirely flat, with no grade separation at all. Cobblestone is used through out the space, but a different pattern is used along the sides where pedestrians should be. The wide stones create a separate space for the pedestrians, with bollards provided at some points to provide additional protection. A bicycle lane is separated from car traffic by the use of a line of darker cobblestones.

(12/16/2013 | No Grade Separation on Roadway in Malmö | Credit: Cat Silva)

This creates a very pleasant feel to the street, as there the materials are used to subtly guide traffic, instead of yellow striping or raised concrete sidewalks. A possible downside could be how legible the use of different materials is. It was difficult to see the bicycle lane strip 50 feet head, and it was unclear if this lane operated as a two-way track or if riders going the opposite direction are meant to share space with the cars. Our theory is that the system is likely a little confusing at first, once you get used to what the different materials mean, the city may become very easy to navigate and enjoyable to use.

Heading Over Øresund

At the end of a day of exploring, we headed back to the Malmö Central Station to catch the train back to Copenhagen. While waiting, rolling images were projected on the walks, giving us something to look at as we waited for the train to arrive.'

(12/16/2013 | Train Platform at Malmö Central Station | Credit: Cat Silva)