The amazing Hans Monderman died earlier this year. Hans who? you ask. Morderman—a mild mannered Dutch traffic engineer whose idea continues to revolutionize the comings and goings of drivers, bikers, and pedestrians the world over.For 25 years Monderman was patient enough to prove to his many critics and naysayers that the "naked street" works. Now this "traffic scheme," as the Europeans like to call it, is springing up all over the world, it’s success now just so obvious.
What we think is so special about Monderman is that he created something revolutionary on a practical level while also revealing something profound about human social interaction. So, this month we salute the life and work of Hans Monderman, traffic engineer and, as it turns out, philosopher and sociologist, too.
For a larger view of Hans Monderman's life and work, and to learn more about naked streets, read the excellent UK Times Online obituary.
Hans Monderman’s maxim: “If you treat drivers like idiots, they act as idiots. Never treat anyone in the public realm as an idiot, always assume they have intelligence.”
