MODERN DESIGN
The cluster will develop a cross-institutional network of researchers interested in design, the material culture of shared space and active travel in the public realm. The contemporary challenges facing the public realm are considerable. Research shows that our dependence on cars is damaging our health and the health of the planet, and design has an important part to play in addressing these issues. We are interested in the correlation of road signage and street furniture, cycling infrastructure, initiatives to encourage active travel and debates around the sustainable cities, inclusivity and participation with regards to active travel and the design of the urban realm, particularly in a post-pandemic civic context and in light of climate change.
The cluster responds to one of GSA’s interdisciplinary research themes Sustainable Environment and Economies, which underpins GSA’s strategic development.
The three principal members, Eleanor Herring, Nicholas Oddy and Bruce Peter, have strong track records of research in particular aspects of this area.
Eleanor’s research concerns the design of street furniture and the cultural debates surrounding the introduction of new designs for street lighting, seating and bins in the twentieth century. Eleanor is currently researching the concept of the streetscape as our public home, active travel and Bike Buses.
Nicholas’s research interests include the politics of road usage and the ways in which cyclists and drivers of powered vehicles have sought to displace each other to gain space or priority on the roads and, in relation, road layout design, legislation and the sociology of road usage. Nicholas is also a leading expert in the history of British road signage.
Among Bruce’s interests are the design of public transport – ferries, trains, buses – and their associated infrastructures and architectures. His others include pre- and post-war modern architecture and design, ranging from Art Deco to the International Style.
Nicholas Oddy, Head of Department Design History and Theory
Bruce Peter, Professor of Design History