Visiting Guest Speaker - Dr Kasun Wijayaratna
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Guest Speaker |
Dr Kasun Wijayaratna Senior Lecturer, Director of Mobility Thinking Pty Ltd |
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Topic: Shared Spaces to create Safe Places Date: Tuesday, 6 June 2023 |
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BIOGRAPHY: Dr Kasun Wijayaratna is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and a Director of Mobility Thinking Pty Ltd, an emerging research consulting and software as a service firm. He is a practical, application focussed transport researcher and teacher with over 12 years of industry and research experience, producing in excess of 30 publications in a vast array of fields extending across network modelling, traffic management, parking and car-sharing. He has a strong connection with industry, between 2009 and 2012, Kasun worked for the consulting firm Cardno (now known as Stantec) as a Traffic Modeller and Engineer. He has been involved in delivering a multitude of local and state government planning projects, specifically providing microsimulation models and modelling advice. Kasun is a RCITI and UNSW alumni, completing his studies and serving as a Research Associate where he was involved in securing more than $1 million in industry funding. Since joining UTS in 2019, he has worked closely with Transport for New South Wales providing valuable research in the topics of shared spaces and placemaking as a means of improving accessibility and social connection within road environments. |
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ABSTRACT: Shared spaces can provide greater place intensity by creating an environment that removes mode hierarchy and enhances social interaction. However, there is limited design and implementation guidance, thus constraining its potential applications in NSW, especially in the context of creating safer places on the road network. This presentation details the progress to date of a collaboration between UTS and Transport for New South Wales investigating shared space design and guidance. A comprehensive review of literature investigating documented global case studies has been completed, identifying gaps and potential opportunities to advance the adoption of the shared space design concept. The outcomes of this research project will create the evidence base for the incorporation of this concept within the NSW Movement and Place Framework and for future adoptions within the urban landscapes and local road networks. |
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