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50 incredible public-space transformations captured by Google Street Viewhttps://www.businessinsider.in/50-incredible-public-space-transformations-captured-by-google-street-view/you-can-see-more-before-and-after-images-and-contribute-your-own-by-visiting-urb-is-website-/slidelist/59076223.cms2017-06-09T23:15:35+05:30

50 incredible public-space transformations captured by Google Street View

Jun 9, 2017, 23:15 IST

You can see more before-and-after images (and contribute your own) by visiting Urb-i's website.

"We are seeking to create a bottom-up network which will connect professionals, residents, designers, and hopefully decision-makers," Fogelson says.

He hopes to eventually launch a platform where people can share proposals for future before-and-after public space transformations.

In January, Urb-i started a collaborators program so people can volunteer time searching for transformations on Google Street View.

While Fogelson curates most of the before-and-after images himself, there is a way public-space enthusiasts can help.

This makeover in Seattle is just stunning.

Over in Toulouse, France, a park took the place of a parking lot.

This intersection in Lyon, France, looks totally different.

We might even call this an excessive amount of sidewalk in Budapest, Hungary.

A bustling street in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, was turned into a tranquil walkway.

A gas station became a parking lot, then a restaurant, in Cape Town, South Africa.

Paris, France, swapped a roadway for public transit, giving pedestrians a whole new view.

You won't find any cars in this beautiful grove in Amsterdam.

In Tel Aviv, Israel, a raised platform offers a place to rest while you run errands.

London's Granary Square got a face-lift.

Not far away in Lisbon, Portugal, pedestrians and motorists seem to share the space, instead of competing for it.

Almada, Portugal, looks like a postcard with its new public square.

A main artery in Brussels, Belgium, got a bike lane for safety.

Where once there were cars, bicycles reign supreme in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Across town in Madrid, a public space got the cobblestone treatment.

Madrid, Span, got its own, star-studded walk of fame.

Copenhagen, Denmark, has a case of the spots.

Designers get creative with pavement, too. A semi-circle pattern spruced up a public space in Lower Manhattan.

There's no more parking allowed on Van Gogh Walk in London, England.

These planter boxes make for a perfect place to each lunch on a rare sunny day in Seattle.

A new boardwalk outside Seoul, South Korea, lends stunning views of a river.

Montréal's Avenue du Musée doesn't disappoint either, with a rotating sculpture installation available for public viewing.

Fake trees and art installations work well in Montréal, Canada.

Pedestrians can enjoy the shrubbery in Lyon, France, too.

A little greenery went a long way in Budapest, Hungary.

Let's take a look at some more examples.

"If designed well," Urb-i says, a public space "functions as a place of permanence where we socialize, rather than just a passage to get us from Point A to Point B."

But walking space isn't the only thing that matters.

"For the pedestrian, an extra meter or two of sidewalk means a whole lot," Urb-i says.

Sometimes all it takes is a sidewalk.

Archways added some decadence to a side street in Singapore.

Two pavilions made of glass and steel jazzed up this street in Milan, Italy. A ticket office and a cultural event space operate inside.

The makeovers vary in scale. This alleyway in San Francisco is nearly unrecognizable after getting an outdoor seating area installed.

In São Paulo, Brazil, where Urb-i's members work at a socially responsible architecture firm, this curb got a new life with paving and a park bench.

Today, Urb-i's before-and-after gallery contains more than 3,000 public-space transformations from around the world.

The before-and-after images look like reflections, thanks to carefully angled screenshots.

The group keeps tabs on urban transformation blogs and architectural projects, so they know where to check on Google Street View.

"I have already developed a few strategies to finding these transformations, and quite frankly, I'm addicted," says Fogelson.

Urb-i began curating the images in a gallery, hoping to showcase public spaces that put pedestrians — and cyclists — first.

It's pretty satisfying to see the results.

In some areas, Google Street View offers a timeline of images, so you can see how a space has evolved over time.

Yuval Fogelson spends hours diving into the search engine's rabbit hole, scanning the world for stunning public space redesigns that favor pedestrians over vehicles.

They're obsessed with Google Street View.

It just doesn't seem fair. Fortunately, the founders of Urb-i have an addiction of their own ...

Traffic lanes and parking take precedent over green spaces and outdoor seating. People traveling on foot are quarantined to tiny sidewalks.

We are a society "addicted to cars," according to the four young founders of Urb-i.

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