Road Alignment Research Articles

Sustainable road alignment planning in the built environment based on the MCDM-GIS method

Sustainable road planning in the cities' built-up areas strives to meet traffic demands of society within limited spaces available for construction and various constraints in the built environment considering engineering, traffic, economic, social, and environmental factors. Unlike rural areas, road planning in the built environment can be significantly influenced by the surroundings, such as existing buildings, road network, and land use, and should consider noise and air pollution impact on residents. In addition, road width and road widening are significant factors for road alignment planning. Based on the MCDM-GIS method, the least-cost wide path algorithm is employed for sustainable road alignment planning in the built environment, considering building demolition and land use, traffic congestion, noise impact, air pollution impact, and construction costs. Road width, new road construction, and existing road widening are considered simultaneously. Several methods are proposed to digitalise and parse various sustainable factors into understandable expressions for road alignment planning. Forbidden areas and road buffer areas for road widening are defined. The proposed method is implemented in road planning in Dartford, Kent County, UK. Sustainable factors with different weights can generate various road alignments from different perspectives, and road widths can significantly and locally influence road alignments.

Review of Research on Road Traffic Operation Risk Prevention and Control.

Road traffic safety can be ensured by preventing and controlling the potential risks in road traffic operations. The relevant literature was systematically reviewed to identify the research context and status quo in the road traffic operation risk prevention and control field and identify the key study contents needing further research. As research material, the related English and Chinese literature published between 1996 and 2021 (as of 31st December 2021) was obtained through the Web of Science Core Collection and Chinese Science Citation Database. These research materials include 22,403 English and 7876 Chinese papers. Based on the bibliometrics, this study used CiteSpace software to conduct keyword co-occurrence analysis in the field. The results show that the relevant research topics mainly covered the risks of drivers, vehicles, roads, and the traffic environment. In the aspect of driver risks, the studies focused on driving behavior characteristics. In terms of vehicle risks, the related studies were mainly about the vehicle control system, driving assistance system, hazardous material transportation, automated driving technology, safe driving speed, and vehicle collision prediction. For the road risks, the safe driving guarantee of high-risk road sections, driving risks at intersections, and safe road alignment design were the three study hotspots. In terms of traffic environment risks, identifying traffic risk locations and driving safety guarantees under adverse weather conditions were the two main research highlights. Moreover, mathematical modeling was the main method for studying road traffic operation risk. Furthermore, the impact of environmental factors on drivers, the emergency rescue system for road traffic accidents, the connection between automated driving technology and safe driving theory, and the man–machine hybrid traffic flow characteristics are the subjects needing further research.

Application analysis of highway traffic accident risk model based on geographically weighted negative binomial regression

The traditional generalized linear model (GLM) can not effectively analyze discrete road traffic accidents when analyzing road traffic accidents with spatial dependence and heterogeneity. Therefore, a risk analysis method of highway traffic accidents based on geographically weighted negative binomial regression model (GWNBR) is proposed. Using geographical weighted regression (GWR) model and negative binomial regression (NB) model, this paper makes a comparative analysis of highway traffic accidents in Xi’an, including local spatial geographical weighted Poisson regression (GWPR) model and two geographical weighted negative binomial regression (GWNBRg and GWNBR) models. The corresponding model bandwidth is determined, and the performance of the model is compared based on the data of traffic environment, road characteristics, crowd characteristics and road alignment. The experimental results show that compared with the single NB model, the proposed model can effectively reduce the interference of the spatial nonstationarity of the data, and can effectively extract the risk factors affecting the accident. The coefficients of GWNBRg model and GWNBR model are positive, which are better than GLM in the mean and likelihood of the residuals. The spatial autocorrelation of the residuals is significantly reduced, and the significance level is 5%, which reduces the spatial heterogeneity of the data. The over dispersion parameter value of GWNBRg model shows a downward trend from southwest to northeast in space, which can effectively reflect the spatial relationship between traffic flow and accident rate, indicating that GWNBR model has a good effect in traffic accident risk analysis of super discrete highway. Therefore, the application of geographical weighted negative binomial regression to highway traffic accident risk prediction has a good application effect, and can effectively reduce the probability of accidents as safety prevention and early warning.

Which is the more important for road safety—road design or driver behavioural adaptation?

Studies consistently show that sharp horizontal curves increase accident rate. One would therefore expect roads with many sharp curves to have a higher accident rate than roads with few sharp curves. This is not the case. The differences in road safety between roads with different profiles of horizontal road alignment are quite small. There are even studies suggesting that areas having roads with many curves have a lower number of accidents than otherwise identical areas with less curvy roads. The question arises: How can it be true both that sharp curves increase accident rate and that areas with roads with many sharp curves do not have a higher accident rate than areas with less demanding alignment? The answer is likely to be found in behavioural adaptation among drivers. The accident rates both in curves and on straight sections are strongly influenced by how drivers adapt behaviour to the number of curves per kilometre of road. This paper shows how behavioural adaptation can be quantified by means of the ‘human feedback parameter’ proposed by Evans. This parameter takes a value of -1 if drivers adapt behaviour so as to completely eliminate a risk factor. Values close to -0.7 for horizontal curves were estimated on the basis of micro-level studies. Thus behavioural adaptation reduces the increase in risk to about 30% of what it would have been without behavioural adaptation. In addition, a high frequency of curves leads to lower speed on the straight sections between curves.

Analysis of the Causes of Traffic Accidents and Identification of Accident-Prone Points in Long Downhill Tunnel of Mountain Expressways Based on Data Mining

China has a large vehicle base, uneven road conditions, and the highest rate of traffic accidents in the world. Particularly on the long downhill sections of expressway tunnels in mountainous areas with harsh geographical conditions, traffic accidents are densely distributed, and once a traffic accident occurs, the consequences are serious, which poses a large threat to people’s lives and property. This paper mined and analyzed the traffic accident data collected by the project on the Baoding section of Zhangshi Expressway. SPSS software was used to analyze the traffic accident data characteristics of the long downhill tunnel of the mountain expressways. The time, space, accident form, vehicle type, and road alignment distribution characteristics of the traffic accident in the long downhill tunnel section of mountain expressways were obtained. The decision tree algorithm was used to construct the cause analysis model of traffic accidents in the long downhill tunnel of mountain expressways, and the five primary influencing factors were obtained: horizontal curve radius, week, slope length, time, and cart ratio. The improved cumulative frequency curve method was used to study the accident-prone points of mountain expressways, and the accident-prone points and potential accident-prone points were obtained.

COMPUTER DESIGN OF ROUTES OF LINEAR STRUCTURES USING ALGORITHMS SPLINE-APPROXIMATIONS OF MULTIPLE-VALUED FUNCTIONS. PART 1

The problem of converting a flat broken line into a spline, whose elements are arcs of circles conjugated by line segments, is considered. This problem arises when designing the plan and profile of the routes of linear structures. For such structures as trenches for laying pipelines for various purposes, it has independent significance, as well as in the design of the longitudinal profile of railways and highways. When designing a road alignment plan, the solution of this problem is considered as the first step in solving a more complex problem in which clothoids are used to pair arcs of circles and straight lines. With regard to the design of the longitudinal profile of roads, the problem of approximation by a spline with circles was solved earlier. The principal feature of the problem under consideration in relation to the design of the route plan is that the spline is a multivalued function and the previously developed algorithm is unsuitable. The problem is considered in the presence of restrictions on the parameters of the spline and an unknown number of its elements. It is proposed at the first stage to determine the number of spline elements, and at the second stage to optimize its parameters. As an objective function, a simple or weighted sum of squared deviations of the initial points (polyline nodes) from the spline is used. The article considers the first stage, taking into account the features of the approximation of multivalued functions. Implemented dynamic programming algorithm; the result is an initial guess for the non-linear programming algorithm. Fundamentally new is the calculation of the derivatives of the objective function with respect to the parameters that determine the position of the spline in the absence of its analytical expression through these parameters. The next article will be devoted to the solution of the problem at the second stage.

Modeling side slopes in vertical alignment resource road construction using convex optimization

AbstractA new convex quadratically‐constrained quadratic programming (QCQP) model is proposed for modeling side‐slopes volumes in the minimization of earthwork operations to compute the vertical alignment of a resource road while satisfying design and safety constraints. The new QCQP model is convex but nonlinear; it is compared to a state‐of‐the‐art mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model. The QCQP model can be viewed as the limit of this MILP model. Numerical results show that for roads with less than 100 stations, the QCQP model has similar computation time to the MILP model. However, the QCQP model significantly outperforms the MILP model for other roads, in some cases finding a global optimum in minutes while the MILP model fails to find any solution in hours. The technique is directly applicable for resource roads and has potential for other types of road.

Effects of Road Marking Visibility on Vehicles Driving Along Curves: A Preliminary Study in a Simulated Environment

The role of road markings is fundamental for traffic safety, as it represents an essential optical driving instrument both for effective drivers and autonomous vehicles. This research aims to evaluate the effects of the decay of road marking visibility along curves, specifically the variability in lateral acceleration. Traditionally, issues related to the correct interpretation of a road alignment were studied by means of trajectory analyses. However, they involved information about the vehicle’s geometrical position without any indication on dynamics. To explore this aspect further, an experiment in a simulated environment involving 21 drivers was performed. They drove along a test road in a standardized scenario considering only three variables: the curve direction (right or left), the deviation angle (70° or 30°), and the road marking visibility percentage (100%, 50%, 10%, and 0%). The results, in differences between theoretical (depending on design speed and curve radius) and effective lateral accelerations, provide further evidence of the strategic role of the markings. However, when markings deteriorate, drivers activate some balancing mechanisms to mitigate the dynamic effects along curves and, in turn, to improve comfort and safety. The proposed procedure is not only of direct practical interest, but it is also fully generalizable to other contexts and issues, involving several other elements that may influence the phenomenon, such as road geometry, visibility conditions, and traffic flow speed.

Geotechnical Evaluation of the Causes of Road Pavement Failure Along the Mbaitoli-Ikeduru-Mbaise Highway, Southeastern Nigeria

The incessant failed spots in the road pavement along the 27.61km Mbaitolu-Ikeduru-Ahiara Mbaise highway in Imo state, southeastern Nigeria, has necessitated this geotechnical study to evaluate the impact of the subgrade material quality on the road pavement failure. The study entailed both physical and geological assessment of the predominantly sandy to clayey silt Benin Formation underlying the area, as well as field and laboratory engineering tests on the subgrade materials underlying the road alignment. The engineering tests carried out included the grain size distribution, specific gravity, natural moisture content, Atterberg (liquid and plastic) limits, compaction (to determine maximum dry density and optimum moisture content), California bearing ratio (CBR), and shear strength (to determine cohesion and angle of internal friction). The engineering test results indicate that the natural moisture content values range between 10.4 and 18.9%, liquid limit between 36.0 and 48.6%, plastic limit ranges from 26.1 to 31.6, with corresponding plasticity index values that range from 9.2 to 17.0%. The grain size distribution test results connote the predominance of sand, with number of fines-sized particles that ranges from 22 to 38% and amount coarse to medium sand-sized particles ranging from 62 to 78%.Maximum dry density ranges from 1.29to 1.93 kg/m3. (CBR) ranges from 3.7 and 91.9%. Specific gravity ranges between 2.56and 2.61, while cohesion and angle of internal friction range from 39 to 42 kPa, and 14 to 20°, respectively. Some failed portion especially in Inyishi area were likely due to moisture fluctuation in the subgrade due to closeness of the water table. Proper compaction, chemical stabilization, and appropriate drainage would likely boost the efficiency of the subgrade material and the durability of the road pavement.

Application of Geographic Information Systems in Impact Evaluation and Geospatial Portfolio Analysis of Transport Projects

New technologies and global datasets enable transport projects to be assessed more effectively and efficiently. Geospatial data are available retrospectively and remotely, which is particularly useful for evaluators working in countries with constraints on their access to data, including those caused by COVID-19 pandemic. Another advantage is that data quality is the same and comparable across countries. This paper reports the results of geospatial portfolio analysis and economic impact analysis with geospatial data. It generated several interesting findings. For example, the contribution of projects carried out by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) became visible, as about 290 million people live along the road alignments of ADB projects and are therefore potential beneficiaries. Their presence and greater economic activity are indicated by increases in the radiance of nighttime light. The data also demonstrated which countries need to make additional efforts to reduce CO2 emissions from the project areas. Two levels of impact analysis using nighttime light were carried out, which measured local benefits of economic growth. The first assessed a national highway project in Armenia. The contribution of the project to economic growth was more than 2.5% per year. The second found that 33 transportation projects had made an average annual contribution to economic growth of 5%. The authors compared the impact assessed by nighttime light with conventional economic analysis using economic internal rates of return, measuring benefits enjoyed by road users and administrators, and observed a positive correlation between the two.

DEEP LEARNING-BASED ROAD SEGMENTATION OF 3D POINT CLOUDS FOR ASSISTING ROAD ALIGNMENT PARAMETERIZATION

Abstract. The need for transportation infrastructure digitalization is becoming more important, and efficient data collection and processing workflows have to be established and pose a great research challenge. This paper presents a fully automated method for the geometric parametrization of the road alignment from 3D point clouds acquired with a low-cost mobile mapping system. It exploits the Point Transformer Deep Learning architecture in order to segment the 3D point cloud in four different classes, which include road markings. Those markings are then used as a reference to extract the alignment trajectory path, classify its geometries (straight lines, circular arcs, and clothoids) and then parametrize it, extracting data to easily generate alignment data that may follow the standard schema of the Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). Both the deep learning architecture and the geometry parametrization process show promising results to develop automatic workflows that extract precise as-built data of the infrastructure from 3D point clouds.

Investigation on variable speed limit control strategy of expressway under adverse weather conditions

In order to effectively improve the capacity of expressways under adverse weather conditions (rainy, foggy and snowy) and reduce the potential safety hazards of expressways, a variable speed limit control strategy is proposed. First, the impact of road alignment on traffic capacity is considered, and road traffic capacity reduction coefficients under different bends and slopes are added so that the cell transmission model and a dynamic traffic flow model can be established; Secondly, the maximum speed limit value under adverse weather conditions is determined according to the influence of rainfall intensity under rainy weather conditions, visibility under foggy weather conditions, and road adhesion coefficient under snowy weather conditions on traffic capacity; Finally, an adaptive genetic algorithm is employed to solve the function that satisfies the safety and efficiency of traffic operation. The results show that the variable speed limit control strategy under adverse weather conditions effectively improves the road capacity, reduces the driving risk of vehicles, and alleviates traffic congestion.

Distracted when Using Driving Automation: A Quantile Regression Analysis of Driver Glances Considering the Effects of Road Alignment and Driving Experience

Background: SAE Level 2 driving automation, the state-of-the-art in commercial vehicles, requires drivers to monitor the environment to resume vehicle control when automation limits are surpassed. However, this type of driving automation was found to increase distraction engagement. Although experienced drivers were shown to better regulate their visual engagement in distracting activities when driving with and without automation, the moderating effects of road demands (e.g., road alignment) have yet to be explored in detail, in particular, for driving with automation.Objective: To better understand the combined effects of road alignment, driving automation, and driving experience, we investigated the effects of these factors on driver glances to a visual-manual distraction task.Method: We present a secondary analysis, using quantile regression, of two previously reported driving simulator experiments. A total of 32 participants’ data, 16 from each experiment, were utilized. Half of these participants were novice and the other half were experienced drivers. The first experiment focused on non-automated driving, while the second focused on driving with adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assistance systems combined (i.e., SAE Level 2). The analysis reported here focuses on drivers’ visual distraction engagement in two highway drives that were identical across the two experiments.Results: With driving automation, compared to experienced driver glances, the duration of novice driver glances to the distraction task was more variable, longer, and less sensitive to variations in road alignment.Implications: These findings suggest that, with driving automation, novice drivers are more at risk of inappropriate engagement in distractions and do not adapt to road demands as well as experienced drivers, and thus should be supported accordingly.

Vertical Clearance Assessment of Overpassing Structures on Sag Vertical Curves

The paper investigates areas on sag vertical alignments where overpassing structures impose restrictions on truck drivers’ sight distance. The assessment is performed for the least desired case where the driver’s sightline is equivalent to the defined stopping sight distance (SSD). The overall objective is to define the boundaries where such overpassing structures limit the available sight distances for truck drivers below the required SSD and thus to provide valuable guidance to practitioners. Initially, the authors addressed the SSD calculation on variable grades during the braking process through an earlier approach based on the point mass model and the laws of mechanics. As a second step, truck deceleration rates were determined from the literature. The effect of various design speeds was examined, corresponding to specific ranges of grade values and sag vertical curvature rates. The methodology was based on calculating the difference between the truck driver’s line of sight and the road alignment at fixed locations and associating the defined value with the desired vertical clearance rate (VC). The analysis revealed that critical cases arise for design speed values between 90 km/h and 110 km/h. The examined cases for Vdesign = 100 km/h and Vdesign = 110 km/h revealed more critical concerns since the assessment showed that even a VC value of 4.90 m is not adequate to address SSD provision. Such cases require further attention, especially when the entering downgrade to the sag vertical curve is long and steep.

A Study and Design of Two Lane with Paved Shoulder in Green Filed Corridor, By Using Civil 3D

Geometric design is important component, which have a majority of effect while designing a new alignment of the road as per present trends, which is skeleton of any alignment of road. It is combination of cross-sectional elements, horizontal alignments, sight distance considerations and vertical alignment details, attributes of intersection. It also considers other macro factors like design speed, terrain or topography, traffic plying and expected, design hourly volume and estimated capacity, along with environmental factors. While aligning a new road, it should be short, easy, safe and economic and it is expected to be comfort and safe for the movement. Rural road is a road network with a low volume traffic and low design speed which provides market access to farms, employment and connects different communities. Rural roads are classified into Another District Road (ODR) and Village Road (VR). These roads are able to reach the group of villages in rural area of the country and to provide connectivity. It is owned by local authorities. AutoCAD Civil 3D is a software application used by civil engineers and professionals to plan and design the projects for building constructions, road engineering projects, water include construction of dams, ports, canals, embankments etc. AutoCAD civil 3D associate design and production drafting, greatly reducing the time it takes to implement design changes and evaluate multiple situations. A change made in one place immediately updates an entire project, helping your complete projects faster, smarter and more accurately. Civil 3D provides to create 3D models of the project and helps to adopt for both small- and large-scale projects. It helps to imagine the things in 3D visualization, reduces the time and budget. It also inherits many benefits of using civil 3D. Total station is a combination of Electronic Distance Measurement (EDM), an electronic digital theodolite, and a computer in one unit used to measure horizontal angles, vertical angles and sloping distances of the objects. It takes a part by providing all the three co-ordinates of the observed points that is northing, easting, and elevation. These points are further transferred into AutoCAD civil 3D. The term is used in Carriageway, Shoulder, Earthen Shoulder, Typical Cross Section, Utility Corridor, Horizontal and Vertical Alignment, Sight Distance, Design Speed, Topography, Intersection, Traffic Survey etc. The object of the project was to demonstrate how roadway geometric design can be Design in Green Filed Corridor a very short time with much ease and precision. Also, to understand the Green Field Design and its aspects. the road design procedure using AutoCAD Civil 3D has been presented. Manual geometric design of the same road was also performed, the results of which was compared favourably with that of AutoCAD Civil 3D. Also, In this study is to examine in detail the availability of road/highways transport infrastructure and working of the roads/highways at national level. To identify and analyze the problems associated with the roads/highways in India with respect to design per say.

GIS mapping used as supplementary tool to experimentally investigated subgrade soil for robust pavement design in rural area of Ethiopia

PurposeThis paper aims to present physical and geotechnical study in terms of experimental field and laboratory investigations of the subgrade soils in severely damaged and highly degraded road section with numerous potholes between Chencha to Ezo towns of Ethiopia needs to be addressed for a robust pavement.Design/methodology/approachEighteen soil samples were collected from 18 km road stretch at a kilometer interval by considering variation and composition of soils along the road alignment. The field density with dry density, natural moisture content, consistency limit, compaction and California Bearing Ratio (CBR) were determined.FindingsSoils were classified predominantly as silty-clay that replicates its expansive nature, characterized as bad to medium subgrade. The average optimum moisture content and maximum dry density are 17.18% and 1.83 g/cc, whereas the average CBR and swell as 8.40% and 1.49%, respectively. The investigated results indicated that the indispensable way for a stable and durable road subgrade in the existing silty clayey soil requires a capping layer. The results were uploaded into ArcGIS platform to create interactive maps for spatial distribution, composition and strength of the subgrade properties.Originality/valueExperimental investigation of subgrade soils by scientific procedures and presenting important properties through integrated approach using ArcGIS Mapping for the road pavement design and construction purpose of under developed areas like Chencha-Ezo. ArcGIS-based mapping of all required and numerical subgrade properties with a single click using ArcGIS tool is the main significance and contribution of this study. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is original, and all the references are properly cited.

Estimating mountainous freeway crash rate: Application of a spatial model with three-dimensional (3D) alignment parameters

The road alignment is a three-dimensional (3D) curve in nature. In this study, we quantitatively examine the effect of 3D road alignment on traffic safety on mountainous freeways. Geometric parameters of 3D curvature and torsion in mathematics are derived to characterize the 3D road curve. Based on the coordination of different horizontal and vertical elements, 3D road alignment is divided into twelve types of combined alignment. For each alignment combination, the 3D curvature and torsion are calculated according to the differential geometry theory. Regarding crash statistical modeling, the Bayesian spatial Tobit (BST) model is developed to accommodate possible spatial correlation of traffic crashes among adjacent freeway segments. The Bayesian Tobit (BT) model is also built for comparison.A 118-km mountainous freeway associated road geometric features, traffic volume with three years of crash data is used as a case study. The result from the model comparison shows the BST model outperforms the BT model in terms of goodness-of-fit. Parameter estimation result for the BST model shows that the differences of average 3D curvature (and torsion) between adjacent segments have statistically significant effects on the crash rate of the segment, indicating it is necessary to consider three-dimensional alignment parameters in estimating mountainous freeway crash rate. Moreover, by comparing the predicted crash rate calculated by the BST model and the observed crash rate, the result shows the proposed BST model can provide a reliable prediction for freeway crash rates of different combined alignments. This study provides new insight on the effect of road geometric design on traffic safety but also deepens our understanding of spatial correlations in freeway crash modeling.

Evaluation of the Applicability of 50 N Rails to Sharp Curves on Mountain Railway Tracks

Currently, a mountain railway system using existing mountain roads is being developed in Korea. Considering the alignment of domestic mountain roads with many sharp curves, the maximum radius of curvature of the mountain railway is about 10 m. Therefore, the 50 N rail applied to the track structure of the mountain railway must be manufactured with a radius of curvature of 10 m at the factory. In this study, the material properties of 50 N Rails were analyzed through indoor tests and the behavioral characteristics according to bending processing (R = 10 m) were analyzed to evaluate their applicability to sharp curves on mountain railways.

A NEW LIVING DOORSTEP PROJECT OF URBAN SHARING FOR CITTÀ STUDI

The Campus of Politecnico di Milano is divided into various "sections" that convey thisuniversity's different identity, which plays an active role in Città Studi. This thesis project investigates the space relationships resulting from the instauration of anew system acting as a multifunctional node. Through an analysis of the area and itsproblems, the project seeks to address them standing in continuity with the Campus andthe current previsions by Renzo Piano project; and yet wants to be an alternative to theplanned project by Politecnico for the new laboratories of Chemical Departments. Theproject explores the boundaries that would be developed through an "open-space andconstructed-space" system, organized according to road alignment, present, and pastones, and the possible doorsteps between them, making this area looking like a knotamong the "poles" of the Campus (Ampère-Leonardo-Golgi). We propose to createpooling places through a new Student House dedicated to different users and workplacesand the placement of a cultural complex, the Museo del Politecnico. Concerning leisuretime, a sports complex has been organized, intended in relationship with the Giurati area,accessible and enjoyable by a mixed variety of users. The primary purpose of this project isto create new places of identity and share them with society by using a series of livablethresholds placed on different levels, open spaces, and semi-open ones with other usages,which are put as an urban background fact.

A NEW LIVING DOORSTEP PROJECT OF URBAN SHARING FOR CITTÀ STUDI

The Campus of Politecnico di Milano is divided into various "sections" that convey thisuniversity's different identity, which plays an active role in Città Studi. This thesis project investigates the space relationships resulting from the instauration of anew system acting as a multifunctional node. Through an analysis of the area and itsproblems, the project seeks to address them standing in continuity with the Campus andthe current previsions by Renzo Piano project; and yet wants to be an alternative to theplanned project by Politecnico for the new laboratories of Chemical Departments. Theproject explores the boundaries that would be developed through an "open-space andconstructed-space" system, organized according to road alignment, present, and pastones, and the possible doorsteps between them, making this area looking like a knotamong the "poles" of the Campus (Ampère-Leonardo-Golgi). We propose to createpooling places through a new Student House dedicated to different users and workplacesand the placement of a cultural complex, the Museo del Politecnico. Concerning leisuretime, a sports complex has been organized, intended in relationship with the Giurati area,accessible and enjoyable by a mixed variety of users. The primary purpose of this project isto create new places of identity and share them with society by using a series of livablethresholds placed on different levels, open spaces, and semi-open ones with other usages,which are put as an urban background fact.