With Love, Payton Mccall

  • That Summer Feeling

    Imagine those picturesque summer nights, where life begins to blur together and you feel like you’re in a movie. When the sun begins to set, and the temperature begins to cool. I feel like a child all over again, where the day is just beginning, and great fun awaits.

    A photo of me biking on Aero Island, but a time when life was feeling really good.

    After a casual day of biking 30 miles to the city of Houten, we celebrated at a beautiful pancake house. (Teahouse Rhijnauwen); which greatly reminded me of Sunnyside in Tahoe. This pancake house had gluten free vegan pancakes, soo.. you can understand how excited I was. We feasted and rehydrated before leaving. Got back on those dammed bikes and went back into the city. And by god, it was beautiful.

    We biked next to commuters coming from work. Who of course, were wearing regular clothes– no helmet or cycling shorts. We passed by families going for their evening bike rides. Streets were bustling with families, teens, and friends out for drinks and ice cream. We passed through neighborhoods, parks, and entered the lively city– that was patiently awaiting our return.

    With love,

    McCall

  • “So, I just got stung by a bee”

    It was probably the start to the luckiest mornings of my life. After walking around for about 10 minutes to find a cafe to blog, we find this somber cafe outside of St. Martin’s Cathedral that just seemed perfect. We walked up, looked at the menu, and discovered everything to be vegan! And to my greatest luck, Claressa and Rachel were down, as long as they still got their coffees.

    We sat down on the cutest couch (INSIDE!) and ordered coffees. As we were sitting there, I felt a small pinch on my shoulder, turned to feel what it was, and knocked a bee off of me. I just casually turned to Rachel and Claressa who were diligently blogging and calmly said, “So, I just got stung by a bee.”

    After getting ice and the stinger out, we all laughed. I have never been stung by a bee before! So honestly, I was really excited to not only get stung, but to get stung by a EUROPEAN BEE. The luckiest part of it all is that I am not allergic to bees. Thank goodness.

    With Love,

    McCall

  • Transportation Patterns on Agate Street

    -Summary of Pre-Departure Assignment-

    I observed the intersection of Agate Street and 15th Avenue, which is a 3-way stop sign that connects one side of campus to another and connects Franklin Boulevard to a populated neighborhood. There are many different identifiable users of this space. Students use this space to walk and bike through campus. People that live in the neighborhood behind the university use Agate to get home and get stuck at the intersection due to traffic. Commercial trucks accessing University dining halls (Unthank and GSH) take this intersection. Students living in the dorms use this intersection to get back home, often with a car packed with friends or groceries. Buses go through the intersection from the Knight library to shuttle students to the airport or to other bus stops. This street is packed with mixed-use activity, and with the construction of the promenade adjacent to the newly renovated Hayward Field, the space is more populated than ever.

    The issue is that Franklin Boulevard, a highly trafficked street in Eugene, runs parallel to the University of Oregon. Since the university is along this trafficked throughway, it is a major barrier to the neighborhoods and restaurants located behind the university. To access the neighborhoods behind the university, there are few streets that connect directly through. Due to Eugene being built on a grid pattern, some streets are one-way. “Back tracking” or going around is not always an option, which makes Agate Street the best option to getting into the neighborhood.

    The traffic patterns exhibited at this intersection are quite concerning for the overall safety of the users and effectiveness of controlling traffic properly. Diverting traffic and creating more distinct road entrances for neighborhoods to limit vehicle traffic would make this intersection safer.

    I think that bus routes (Flix buses and airport shuttles) should be moved to 13th Avenue where the Hamilton residence hall is. Buses can enter Agate Street, go on 13th Avenue, pick up residents, and leave through the intersection that connects Mathew Knight to Franklin Boulevard. These buses would never have to cross the East 15th Avenue intersection and would stay out of most University related traffic. Furthermore, I think that commercial vehicles associated with University of Oregon Dining Services should be rerouted to Matthew Knight Arena parking lot near Hamilton. This parking lot backs up to Unthank and connects to East 15th Avenue through a service alley. UO Dining Service Vehicles could use the service alley to then get to the GSH dining hall.

    Where the orange is highlighted on the map is where I propose the university create a promenade. Cutting off East 15th Avenue to vehicle traffic and limiting it to university official vehicles only. Essentially, I want to extend the promenade that exists between Hayward Field and LLC, Earl and the new residence hall. Making the orange part on the map a promenade, would allow for bikes and pedestrians more space to walk and mingle with other students. Where the arrows are is where the only access to the student parking lots (in green) would be. Students would have to either go further down Agate to connect, or further down Franklin Boulevard and turn where the Market of Choice is to enter East 15th Avenue from the other side.

    With these solutions being implemented, I think that the space will be more accessible and safer. I want to see a more efficient use of space. The intersection gets so backed up during school hours, where drivers wait for students to cross. Limiting the intersection to just a 2-way stop would make more sense and limit vehicle traffic. Potentially, a pedestrian signal could be implemented in the future, where drivers could pass through and only stop when the signal is pressed/activated. I think this intersection takes a toll on the residents of Eugene and students at the University of Oregon. As someone who uses this intersection every day, it is painful to have to ensure that 3 vehicles stop for you every time you need to cross the street. Limiting this stress is what I wish to accomplish for all users of this intersection. Furthermore, diverting traffic to a different street and reducing congestion is something that I believe could be accomplished by these small solutions. The infrastructure for these solutions/projects are already in place and would be easy to implement. We would be creating no new parking entrances, just diverting the traffic by cutting off East 15th Avenue. Which could be accomplished by sectioning off the street with flower beds as a temporary test run to see how users interpret the space. I think that a project like this would better connect the university, its students, and the community.

  • Copenhagen, Everything We Should Strive Towards

    Remember that one summer that I spent in Copenhagen? I already know that I am gonna never stop talking about the time I studied abroad in Europe. I mean, why would I?

    I really enjoyed my time in Copenhagen, for many reasons already explained in previous blog posts. But I wanted to explain why it is such an incredible city in terms of design and overall offered infrastructure.

    Copenhagen is built to give its citizen’s options or the freedom to choose. The built environment provides opportunity and choice. Planners work to provide multiple transportation options for getting around. A citizen can decide to take the metro, bus, walk, bike, or drive. Each option is efficient, safe, and easy (as it should be). Biking in Copenhagen is quite easy. For most busy streets, there are protected bike lanes, these lanes are raised above the car lane, yet below the pedestrian sidewalk-giving pedestrians a safe buffer as well. Bikers follow the flow of traffic and stay on the right side of the street. The street lights are synced to a pattern, so a biker can go, a car yields, and a pedestrian stops. Each commuter (biker, walker and driver) has their own street light to follow; which are super easy to read and follow. Drivers have a bigger traffic light, bikers have a smaller one with a bike shaped outline at the top, and pedestrians have a green or red walking stick figure.

    Biking around the city changes depending on where you are. Streets that are located in neighborhoods don’t necessarily need bike lanes, so there may be a painted outline in the road for a bike, or the bike just follows vehicle traffic. A vehicle will almost always yield to a bike. Most people in Copenhagen do not wear helmets while biking because they feel a relative sense of safety. Which mom, if you’re reading this, I wore a helmet the whole time, I swear.

    City planners understand that it’s not necessarily a space we design, but a way of life that we help create and facilitate. Copenhagen offers sustainable options for citizens that make sense to use. Biking is cheap and very easy. The majority of Copenhagen’s workforce chooses to commute by bike everyday, because it makes sense to use the provided infrastructure (protected bike lanes, bridges for bikers, and bike parking spots). By creating useable design solutions within cities that are accessible to everyone, designers give people the ability to improve their daily life and have a say in what they want to do.

    Being in Copenhagen has been one of the most healing things I have done since the pandemic. While we were inside, we changed and when we came out of our homes, our built environment remained unchanged– yet the world seemed more scary and daunting. Being in a place where design solutions centered around people and sustainability, gives me hope that such a concept could be implemented and achieved in the U.S.. If not, I know that somewhere out there, the goal has been achieved and a utopia exists.

    With Love,

    McCall

  • The time that Dramamine was not my best friend

    After spending several days in Copenhagen, it was time to leave and go to our next city, Svendborg. My train buddy (Claressa) and I got up early and left for the metro so we could make it to central station in good time. I have to admit, for someone who is studying public transportation, I really was stressed about using public transportation. I am from the suburbs and have no idea what a metro station is, let alone the different routes you can take. So we made sure to get there early and double check that we had the correct information at least 15 times.

    Taken moments before disaster

    We made it there without a hitch- it was super easy to use of course. Eventually, we got on the train with the rest of our group and were off the Svendborg. Now this is where the dramamine comes in. I get really motion sick, and purchased a ‘Less Drowsy” Dramamine in advance. I took 2 on the train and was able to take a light nap. All was good. Eventually we arrive in Svendborg, get to our hostel, and I immediately feel like I have to take a nap. So instead of taking a tour of the city on our new city bikes, I decide to take a quick nap. 4 hours later I was able to wake up in time for dinner before going right to bed afterwards for another 8 hours.

    At least I caught up on sleep! But missed the opportunity to explore the city.

    With Love,

    McCall

  • M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

    Sorry let me just get on my soap box real quick.

    Fun should be apart of everyday life. Yet, the promise of fun can be packaged and sold all around the world. The amount of ‘free’ fun that is here in Copenhagen amazes me. Let me explain. Playgrounds are not just for one age group i.e. children. There are opportunities for adults, and teens at each playground and park. Whether that be providing a walking path for exercise, a community garden space, or local events hosted at frequent locations, a park is never not in use by all ages.

    Hans Christian Anderson Museum located in a Neighborhood

    The park near where I am staying is never not occupied with people lying on the grass reading, playing, or napping. Playing games is something that is very popular here. Whether that be at a board game cafe, a karaoke bar, or at a local park, people are always out playing.

    In the U.S. staying out in parks late in the evening is often frowned upon and not accessible due to inadequate lighting. Staying out late in parks is often is associated with inappropriate behavior like smoking and drinking among underaged teens. Yet the other night as I took an evening stroll, the park was full of teens and adults hanging out with friends, playing cards, and frisbee.

    Today I went to an amusement park called Tivoli. And while I had to pay to enter the park, it was nothing like an amusement park found in the U.S.. It felt more like a county fair– in a good way. Often county fairs are used as a way to bring a community together — ignite community involvement and engagement through visual medias and physical representations of a culture. The park was representational of its surrounding city, and culture. Used and enjoyed by both residents of Copenhagen and visitors. This park serves as a fun activity for people of all ages. A great spot for teenagers to convene with friends on a weekends. Located in town and of course accessible by bike, Disneyland could never.

    Tivoli

    The packaging and commercialization of fun and happiness founded by Disney and other large corporate companies in Westernized culture has taken away our opportunity to find and create organic fun in our own communities. I think it is quite remarkable that a city has chosen to take into account its residents social wellbeing when designing and managing a city. A further example of how impactful good design and programming can exist.

    With Love,

    McCall

  • Leslie Knope Once Said…

    “We have to remember what’s important in life: Friends, Waffles, and Work. Or waffles, friends, and work. But work has to come third”

    We have a lot to learn it seems about the way the rest of the world chooses to live. For the most part, I would say that Denmark has this whole life thing figured out. Everyone I talk to seems to be quite content with their life here. I feel like Lily Collins’ character from Emily in Paris. She was shocked when she found out that people take long lunches and are used to a more leisurely pace.

    From what I have seen, the shops close early here– around 5:00 o’clock. When the business day ends, retail clothing shops, hair salons, bookstores, etc. close their doors.

    There seems to be no rush to get anywhere. People bike to work and school with their headphones in. The way people dress, behave, and carry themselves is distinct and almost indescribable. They are carefree and visibly content. Less work leads to more leisure with family and friends, time spent outdoors, or time spend on yourself. No wonder why people here are reported to be happier and kinder.

    There is a way of life here, that I only dream of one day living. A nearly impossible goal prevented by a culture that promotes capitalism over social benefit.

    With Love,

    McCall

  • Planes, Trains, and Automobiles… Oh and Bikes

    Everyone has their own fears. Indiana Jones’ is scared of snakes. Children are scared of the monsters under their bed. And college students are afraid of doing their homework on time. For me, it’s Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

    While traveling it is hard to avoid the constant transferring from different modes of transportation. Typically, you get off a plane, jump in a taxi to your hotel, take the train to a distant castle, take a tour bus around the city, take a ferry across the water, and still manage to walk 4,000 miles. Traveling isn’t cheap, and with increasing costs of motor transportation, it is difficult for a traveler to get around the city they are visiting.

    Yet, Copenhagen has eliminated such a nightmare, and the city itself is almost like a dream. The stress associated with traveling to a new country is almost completely gone. After several days of biking around the city, I feel like I am more than just a visitor– I feel like I am a part of something greater. With every new day and adventure, you rely on yourself to go to new places. It is not scary, or overwhelming– it is just fun.

    I have never been more excited to explore a new place because it has never been made easier. And the only cost I incur each day is the cost of food and fun; which almost feels free too- but we will get into that later.

    Biking helps contribute to a better way of life here. The money saved from not owning a car goes towards local shops; which are more frequented when people choose to bike or walk. The city here is very quiet due to the decreased amount of sound pollution caused by motor vehicles. People are not driven out of the city to the suburbs because they like being here– a good life exists right here in the city.

    With love,

    McCall

  • Start Your Engines

    I’m just kidding, bikes don’t have engines. But here, in Copenhagen, they certainly get you places just as fast as a vehicle with one. This week we went to the Traffic Playground– to those in America, a traffic playground is not what you think.

    During elementary school, I went to Traffic Safety School (not because I was speeding, I promise). This traffic school was to teach young children the basics of road safety– crossing streets at red lights, stop signs, and yield points, and to cross the road after checking to their right and left. This type of Traffic Safety School is supposed to teach children to be safe due to the high amount of accidents involving motor vehicles.

    Yet, in Copenhagen, this traffic playground, a public safety project, is a way to teach young children about bike infrastructure. Hedges are used to represent the outlines of buildings, so users cannot see what is around the corner until they reach the intersection. Small bike and car lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks are paved out to act like a mini city. With operating stop lights, round-a-bouts, and yield signs, users are forced to bike like they are in a real city. It is an easy way to create trust and safety on a bike; especially for young children.

    This Traffic Playground is cheap, simple and most importantly fun. It is a great way to introduce a way of life to young children. I can only dream of a time in the future when we are teaching our children bike safety instead of teaching them how to drive.

    With love,

    McCall

  • Looking Forward

    During my study abroad trip, I am most looking forward to learning new things– what those things are, I am not entirely sure yet. I know that I want to dive more into my major and the public planning world. The intended trip is to learn about Denmark’s and the Netherlands’ bicycle infrastructure. I am obviously excited for the opportunity to get out of the classroom (well technically zoom school) and learn in the real world.

    While at university, everyone always tells you to study abroad and to not waste the opportunity to go to study in a new country with your schoolmates. Yet, I didn’t really know what study abroad was about. Do you just take a course in another country and sit in a classroom all day? Obviously, not with this program. This program is all about learning by doing. 

    Looking forward, I am excited to embark on this adventure and meet the people in the program. I think there will be a lot of life lessons to learn and new experiences to be had. 

    With Love,

    McCall

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