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Psychological benefits of music in Advertisement

The effectiveness of music ads is an important tool in creating a successful advertising campaign. Many people remember the catchy phrases or phrases used in commercials. The relationship between music and advertising in every area has been demonstrated, and the benefits brought by music at different times and in different ways for companies seeking to promote their products or services. The fact is that without the music in the ad, there is often a bridge is not a gap between the advertiser and the end user.

Music influences the structure and durability of an ad. It can provide continuity in television, film, and digital media ads by providing music content that connects different viewers. Why is ad music so powerful? Music creates an emotional relationship with viewers or listeners. Each of us is influenced by music in one way or another.

Music is a way of identifying certain cultures and regions of people. We understand that there are different types of music that people listen to We choose music styles based on our preferences in life and where we are at the same time mentally and emotionally. Successful marketers understand this powerful tool and use it as a feature of their campaigns.

Psychological benefits of music

 If we spend time listening to music in commercials and breaking the importance of these words, we understand that they are used as a psychological tool to reach us as consumers who deal with the advertised product or service and want to buy what is being offered. In the same way that music is used in movies to bridge the emotional gap with the viewer, you must understand that the same method is used in commercials.

According to soundchime.com research successful ads are created when the advertiser or person in charge of the campaign mode can correctly identify the target market and demographics. If this is discovered and when the individual will begin to understand how to use music effectively in the campaign.

For example, if the type of product being sold is directed at the elderly, playing metal death music in the background will not be an effective way to reach the target audience. Once the target audience is achieved, the advertiser can learn the appropriate musical style for the project.

Often, advertisers will use “canned music,” which is rented or purchased from websites and music libraries that have already been created. While this is an economical choice for many people, using new and original music designed for a specific ad campaign is much more effective because it is specifically designed for the project.

Music producers and composers who specialize in music and commercial songs understand how to put ideas in the commercial market and target market to create a musical piece that will fill the emotional gap to create contact with the end user in order to draw them and make them want to buy the advertised product or service.

Original music can be a much better tool for an ad campaign although it may be more expensive because it can have minimized modifications, alterations, and completely appropriate subjects according to the copyright used in advertising.

20 Profound Quotes By Carl Jung That Will Help You To Better Understand Yourself

Carl Jung is a deep philosophical thinker who examined all aspects of the self when writing about the human experience. He was clear on the notion that we are spiritual beings. Having a spiritual relationship with oneself truly helps us to understand the deeper aspects of who we truly are.

To some people, this idea translates to religion, finding solace in the existence of something greater than yourself. My opinion is that this is a fickle form of spirituality that does not truly help a person get to the core of who they are (or, alternatively, who they are not).

 “Carl Jung was one of the creators of modern depth psychology, which seeks to facilitate a conversation with the unconscious energies which move through each of us. He contributed many ideas which continue to inform contemporary life:complex, archetype, persona, shadow, anima and animus, personality typology, dream interpretation, individuation, and many other ideas. He had a deep appreciation of our creative life and considered spirituality a central part of the human journey” says www.cgjungpage.org.

This summation of Carl’s life and work connects deeply to what Collective Evolution is all about. After putting together the quotes in this article, I gained an even deeper appreciation for Carl Jung and his work, since I uncovered the conscious themes that were apparent throughout his teachings and shadow archetype

Here are 20 quotes from Jung that serve as an accurate representation of his work, and also provide much to reflect on.

20 Profound Quotes By Carl Jung That Will Help You To Better Understand Yourself:

1.“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”

2. “Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.”

3. “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

4. “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”

5. ”One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light but by making the darkness conscious.”

6. “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”

7. “Don’t hold on to someone who’s leaving, otherwise you won’t meet the one who’s coming.”

8. “If you are a gifted person, it doesn’t mean that you gained something. It means you have something to give back.”

9. “Your visions will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

10. “Loneliness does not come from having no people around, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to oneself, or from holding certain views which others find inadmissible.”

11. “People will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their own souls.”

12. “A man who has not passed through the inferno of his passions has never overcome them.”

13. “Depression is like a woman in black. If she turns up, don’t shoo her away. Invite her in, offer her a seat, treat her like a guest and listen to what she wants to say.”

14. “Mistakes are, after all, the foundations of truth, and if a man does not know what a thing is, it is at least an increase in knowledge if he knows what it is not.”

15. “Your perception will become clear only when you can look into your soul.”

16. “Everything about other people that doesn’t satisfy us helps us to better understand ourselves.”

17. “What you resist, persists.”

18. “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”

19. “We may think that we fully control ourselves. However, a friend can easily reveal something about us that we have absolutely no idea about.”

20. “A dream is a small hidden door in the deepest and most intimate sanctum of the soul, which opens up to that primeval cosmic night that was the soul, long before there was the conscious ego.

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21 Of The Most Powerful Photos Ever Taken. #18 Brought Tears To My Eyes.

Powerful Photos Ever

If you love the feeling you get from seeing a powerful picture, we suggest you take a look at these that we’ve prepared for you.

We may constantly see social media photos that describe the mundane living of our friends, but looking at these pictures is not even a similar experience.

A picture can give you goosebumps, it can make you laugh, or even burst into tears. Some pictures are so powerful that they can literally change your life. You may never look at the world in the same way after watching these pictures.

Some may move you to tears and make you want to turn off the computer, but some can be so soothing and make you want to make a poster out of them in your room. These various pictures show humanity at its best and at its worst.

1. A heart-surgeon looks away exhausted from the 23-hour-long surgery after he had successfully transplanted a heart. His assistant fell asleep in the corner.

2. This is a photo of a 12-year-old boy from Brazil, named Diego Frazão Torquato. He is crying while playing the violin at the funeral of his favorite teacher, who taught him the power of music against violence and poverty.

3. This man is crying with grief after finding out about his brother’s murder.

4. This is Victoria, Australia in 2009, after the devastating bushfires when koalas were put to danger. A firefighter is giving water to a koala.

5. The son is pulling his alcoholic father in order to get up.

6. A mesmerizing view of a Mars sunset.

7. As cyclone Nargis hits southern Myanmar in 2008, Hhaing The Yu, 29, is left with only remains of his home near Myanmar’s capital of Yangon (Rangoon). He is holding his face in his hand because he is left homeless, just as million other people. More than 100,000 lives were also lost.

8. An old WW2 Russian tank veteran is leaning towards the old tank in which he passed his time during the war. The tank is standing as a monument in a small Russian town.

9. This handshake stands on the graves of a Protestant husband and a Catholic wife in Holland, 1888.10. Moments before the battle of Kursk, 1943, Russian soldiers are preparing for battle.

11. This is a touching advertisement of parents who are probably now in their 70s and still looking for their missing daughter.12. The terrifying contrast between the hands of a starving boy and a missionary.

13. The picture shows an astonishing contrast of ages between a father and a son (1949 vs 2009)

14. A wall inside an Auschwitz gas chamber.

15. This is Chechnya, where a Russian soldier is playing an abandoned piano, in 1944.

16. During the uprisings in Cairo, 2011, Christians protect Muslims in the middle of prayer.

17. Terri Gurrola sees her daughter for the first time after serving in Iraq for seven months.

18. A couple is found embraced in the ruins of a collapsed factory.

19. It is New Year’s eve in the gypsy community of St. Jacques, Perpignan, Southern France, where it is a common thing for young children to smoke. Here is a five-year-old gypsy boy smoking.

20. This photo is named “Wait for me, daddy” by Claude P. Dettloff, in New Westminster, Canada, October 1, 1940.

21. The power of flowers against the violence of weapons.

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10 Golden Rules That Can Make You A Millionaire

Having just a couple of millions in your bank account would go a long way to having a much better and more interesting life, right? But how does one achieve this goal?

It’s not easy, that’s for sure. Millions don’t just fall off the sky or grow on trees. So, what can you do to get a million bucks without waiting for a rich relative to die in order to inherit some “dough”?

Having just a couple of millions in your bank account would go a long way to having a much better and more interesting life, right? It’s crazy to think how the richest men and women in the world are living their lives to the fullest because of their wealth. How does one really achieve the goal of having millions of dollars in his/her bank account?

It’s not easy, that’s for sure. Millions don’t just fall off the sky or grow on trees. So, what can you do to get a million bucks without waiting for a rich relative to die in order to inherit some “dough”?

Well, the first thing you need to do is work hard, be smart and properly handle your savings.

  1. Save to Invest

It takes money to make money. Instead of spending all your savings on a dream vacation or a new car, use those funds to start or buy a business or a small project.

  1. Search for the best way to invest money

How and where you invest your money is an important decision. Successful investing is the key to reaching your long-term goals. You have to continually watch the market to know where the investors’ big gravy train is.

  1. Diversify

Never bet on one horse. Put your money in several investments, and keep your primary job while you achieve your goals.

  1. Don’t pretend to be someone you are not

Don’t spend more than you can afford. Live within or below your means and do not borrow money. Instead of spending every weekend at expensive restaurants, organize meetings at your house and save some of the money you did not spend.

  1. Self-education is the key

If you want to succeed in the business world, you have to be willing to dedicate a lot of time to self-education. You can take courses, buy books or read information on the Internet. A successful person can talk intelligently about many different topics, be it politics, markets or sports.

  1. Change the way you think about money

Stop thinking that money is something impossible to achieve for you or that you are OK with what you already have, although you would like to have more. Start by accepting that having money is not bad as long as it’s obtained legally and without going over someone’s head.

  1. Set goals and targets

The process of setting goals allows you to choose where you want to go in life. Once you’ve decided on a goal, start working toward achieving it. Don’t try to do everything at once- set small targets that you must hit, and be realistic when setting a time frame to attain it.

  1. Surround yourself with successful people

Be around people that are smarter, richer and more successful than you so you will be able to learn from them. They will inspire you to reach for a higher bar and show you how to get to the next level.

  1. Visualize yourself wealthy and rich

If you thing about something long enough, your subconscious mind will draw in opportunities to make it a reality. Take 5 or 10 minutes to visualize yourself getting a larger salary or opening your own business and let the law of attraction work its wonders for you.

  1. Age is just a number

Unfortunately, in some countries it can be difficult for people of a certain age to get good jobs, despite their experience. But remember, if you are determined to make money, you can become rich at any age. The important thing is to have a clear idea of what you want and the knowledge to do it.

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How to Choose a Medical Alert System for Seniors

Use of technology in medical field is making it more promising. From the sophistication of surgical instruments to the use of wireless and USB enabled fitness trackers, the technological innovation in medical field has come long way. Now, the next in the series of innovative healthcare devices is medical alert system, which is wearable in nature too. Here are some of the features you must look for in your medical alert device.

Fall detection and prevention system

Loss of balance is a thing of common occurrence amongst seniors. Therefore, medical alert system must have the provision for fall detection and prevention. Also, it is favorable if the medical alert device is connectible to the emergency healthcare unit in the closest proximity to handle any uncalled for adverse situation. Such facility allows seniors and family caregivers to obtain medical help even when no one is around.

Push button feature for calling help

When emergency strikes, it may not be possible for the person in distress to search and dial the emergency number. Thus, a push button feature that connects the device to the nearest healthcare center in just one click can prove to be the boon for the patient or the caregiver. This is, therefore, a feature of high utility and must be present in the medical alert system.

Regular health monitoring feature

A lot of effort is gone in blood and urine tests when done on a regular basis. Also, it is not possible to have an expert around 24 hours to measure your other health vitals. Medical alert system having facility for the monitoring of health vitals can help keep a close eye on the overall condition of the seniors. In case of the requirement of medical tests, alerts are generated as per the date input in the device. This facility is supportive of close and advanced monitoring that makes daily assessment of health vitals hassle-free. Additionally, daily check-in service, in person or electronically, is also a desirable feature as it enables daily monitoring of the seniors’ condition.

Location detection and activity monitoring feature

If the seniors are active enough to drive, they can enjoy self-sufficiency by taking help of GPS system embedded in the health alert equipment. GPS allows the person to travel on his own and the ability to share the location to other family members keeps them informed about the whereabouts of the user. Thus, the family members can know where the seniors are at any point of time.

Also, motion sensor and detector feature allows the family members to know if the seniors living in home are active as per their schedule. If there is any abnormality noted in the activity of the person, the users connected with the medical alert system can make timely enquiries and take necessary steps, when needed.

While selecting the medical alert system that fulfils all your needs, it is better to check the features offered by top 10 companies. Compare the features and then pick the one that suits your requirement most closely.

10 Ways You’re Making Your Life Harder Than It Has To Be

Life is a challenge. Sometimes life goes good, sometimes life goes bad. Every day we are experiencing different trials and tribulations. Then still, some days will be better than others. Most of us have forgotten the real purpose of living, and thus we conceal it under our complex jobs, chores and responsibilities that capture us more and more day by day.

We are all trying to get ourselves a better life; therefore we are galloping through the time, tracking the end of the day until we find ourselves not contented and troubled by countless problems.

We begin to perceive that every passing day our life is becoming tougher and more entangled and we start complaining about how difficult life has become. What we are not aware of is that we sometimes are solely responsible for burdening ourselves with inessential pressure and that we are the only creators of the complexity in our lives.  Nonetheless, we can just as easily create a simpler life as we can do a more complex one.

Life wasn’t this hard when we were younger, right? At least, it feels that way. But the only reality is that life is still easy and it will always be. The only difference being is our age. We got older, and the older we get, the harder we make things for ourselves. When we were young we used to see the world with pure, sanguine eyes.

We all knew what we wanted and we had no prejudice or secret agendas. We adored people who smiled and we ran away from people who frown. As we grew older, we became discouraged by the negative influences. The perspectives altered, demands got bigger and that’s how we begin to acquire the habitual skepticism. 

Eventually, we have made our lives harder and we have lost touch with who we really are, what we really want and what we really need, without even being aware of it.

Here are ten of the things that are making our lives harder, than it really has to be. Hopefully, when realizing all these things one can finally have some contentment. 

  1. You assign negative intent to people’s actions.

You always take everything as a personal insult. Your colleague didn’t offer you to get coffee together. Another chauffeur cut you off in traffic. Your friend never called you back. Everyone can see a cause to be offended on a daily basis. So what induced you to be offended? Don’t take things personally. People have their own lives to care about, too. Stop doing this to yourself. Stop attributing negative intent to the unintended actions of the people you know. Make your happy days by finding something good in everyone you meet. If you keep looking closely into everything people around you do and you always assign ulterior motives to their unintentional shortcomings, you can never be happy.

  1. You’re your own movie star.

You are one of those people who think that everything comes around you. And you always get to be the very center of every experience you have ever had. Regrettably, you have forgotten to include other characters in your script. As a result, people are so unaware of the main role that you anticipate to have. Therefore, others may ruin your script by not giving you a promotion or not falling in love with you. So, you better let other people star once in a while. Life would get more interesting even for you. One cannot always be the center of attention; everyone gets to enjoy it occasionally. 

  1. You always think about worst-case scenarios.

You often think that something innocuous will become an impending catastrophe in your mind. For instance, a blemish on your face becomes a cancerous tumor. A flight to another state turns into plane crashing. Your child not attending a specific school turns into him never getting a good job.

What’s the point of you spending your precious time and energy on anxiety and stress about your negative future? Negativity only breeds extra negativity. You are simply depleting yourself of what you are trying to accomplish today.

It’s your choice to make; either you are seeing the world through a lens of hesitation and discouragement or hope and exhilaration? Will you be one of those people with a smile or a frown on their faces?  

  1. You are victim of your high expectations.

You have set high standards to your happiness, anticipating people would go miles for you as you ascribe them unrealistic expectations. Your boyfriend forgot your favorite song, your mom didn’t notice your new nails done, and your friend didn’t wish you luck before your final exam.

You keep your expectations so high and that’s why you get so disappointed at the end. Higher expectations lead to higher disappointments. Instead, as long as you keep you assumptions down you will have a greater chance of getting pleasantly surprised by people’s actions.

  1. You are a sign-waiting person

You cannot make any decision without receiving a sign. I have only one question referring this point. How would you know which is the right sign and if the sign is positive or negative?

You would be much happier if you make a rather rational decision. It’s not that the fate or other power plays role in our lives. But it would be better to shape fate than be governed by it.

  1. You never risk.

You always play on the safe side and never take risks. You are researching every detail to ensure that you are making the best choice. You are afraid to do something impulsive or to take chances.

But, life in reality isn’t so predictable or safe as if taken for granted. In order to move forward sometimes you have to take a risk. And who knows, maybe one day you will be glad you did.

  1. You compare yourself to other people

Don’t compare your life to others. Not only will this stop you from improving your own life but it will most probably make you feel resentful and envious. Different people choose different paths to walk through life and none of those are identical.

Therefore, no one should ever have as identical life as someone else. It doesn’t necessarily means that your life is miserable since is not as someone else’s.  Instead, that’s why you should only compare yourself to the person you were yesterday and try to become better.

 8. You allow other people to steal from you.

Instead of worrying whether people steal from you and checking your valuable possessions if they are on their right place, people are stealing your most precious thing- your time. And you are not taking the same precautions to protect it. On the contrary, pessimistic people, egocentric people, selfish people succeed to take your time away. You should guard your time closely like Fort Know and only give it to people who are worth of and appreciate it.

  1. You won’t move on

You are full of bitter memories and loss? Are there people who need your forgiveness?  
In order to be happy, you need to let go of things that are weighing you down, work your way through and try to become happier, make changes and do your best until you succeed. Loss of a loved one, you can’t get over him/her. Make peace with it! Letting go is always hard, but it’s always worth it.

  1. You never give back

You are used to only taking and not giving back. Then you have never enjoyed the incomparable satisfaction that comes from the giving and sharing. Change your life, get among people, spread positivity, become a volunteer. Try just with giving someone a compliment, saying encouraging words, smiling to someone, you will not only make their day better, but you would make your day brighter. Remember, giving and receiving go hand in hand!

“Life is as simple as these three questions:
What do I want? Why do I want it? And, how will I achieve it?”
 
― Shannon L. Alder

The Science Of Simplicity: Why Successful People Wear The Same Thing Every Day

Have you ever heard of the term ‘capsule wardrobe’? It refers to a concept that envisions owning and wearing a limited number of versatile and interchangeable pieces of clothes as opposed to clogging and overflowing the closet with clothes that you’ll hardly ever wear.

The concept is rapidly gaining following from people of all walks of life, including some of the world’s most important politicians and businessmen.

But what makes the capsule wardrobe movement so appealing to people, especially to those that can afford to buy just about every fashion piece no matter the cost?

In an effort to explain this phenomenon, we offer these 6 logical explanations as to why more and more celebrities are warming up to this concept

  1. Fewer selection headaches

Important people are faced with the challenge of making a number of vital decisions that could potentially have huge implications every day.

This can lead to a condition known as ‘decision fatigue’, which could influence the quality of their decision making.

Former US President Barack Obama, a dedicated follower of the capsule movement, says limiting his fashion options left him with more time and energy to spend of things that matter.

“You’ll see I wear only grey or blue suits. I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make,” Mr. Obama explained.

  1. The gift of time

Up until recently, my closet was packed full with clothes that were either too old or too passé to wear.]

The hoarder in me finally gave in a few months ago when I decided to try the so called ‘Project 333’, which involves discarding all but 33 clothing articles for a three month period.

I successfully completed the challenge and have not looked back since. The result?

Much fewer selection headaches and a lot more time to spend on more important matters.

  1. Stress therapy

When asked the reasons behind her wearing the same clothes every day, New York art director Matilda Kahl cited ‘decision fatigue’ and the lack of time.

She also said that wearing the same outfit every day was a lot less stressful than having to choose different pieces, wandering if she got it right or wrong all the time.

“Is this too formal? Is that too out there?Is this dress too short?

Almost always, I’d choose something to wear I regretted as soon as I hit the subway platform,” she was quoted as saying.

Having reduced her wardrobe to her ‘trademark’ white shirt and black trousers, Ms Kahl certainly has one less thing to worry about.

  1. Limited wardrobe saves energy

Hollywood director Christopher Nolan is one of the more distinguished ‘followers’ of the capsule wardrobe movement.

Mr. Nolan, who can nowadays typically be seen wearing black trousers and a blue dress shirt under a dark jacket, recently told the New York Time Magazine that ‘choosing anew what to wear each day’ was a ‘waste of energy’ which could better be used elsewhere.

The man has a point. Having a large wardrobe will certainly take up a lot more time and energy to organize.

  1. It saves money too

It is a well known fact that the average woman in the 1930’s owned nine outfits compared to today when each woman is estimated to own 30 pieces of clothing.

It is also estimated that the average American family forks out $1.700 on clothes each year. This might not seem like too much, but it could be argued that many of these purchases were not borne out of necessity.

Adopting the capsule wardrobe approach will certainly save you some money in the future.

  1. It puts life into perspective

We think we can all agree on the notion that holding on to our clothes from ‘the good old’ times when we were younger and maybe a bit slimmer is both pointless and unnecessary.

This is perhaps best summed up in Drew Barrymore’s article for Refinery 29, where she writes about her rationale for severing all sentimental ties with clothes from her youth.

“For starters, I’m almost 40, and the twenties clothes don’t make sense anymore. And, after two babies, the thirties clothes don’t fit anymore. I am at a clothing crossroads, and it’s a painful one at times,” reads her article.

In a world obsessed with appearance and glamour, it is certainly refreshing to see the growing popularity of the capsule wardrobe movement.

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Scientists Proved It: The More Time You Spend With Your Parents, The Longer They Live

If you have ever asked yourself how to improve the life and longevity of your parents and grandparents, the scientists have come with a very simple answer: just be around them. In the most recent study, the results showed that people who are lonelier are more likely to experience faster functional decline and earlier death.

The study which was carried out from 2002 to 2008, showed that loneliness can indeed kill you. The target group were 1604 participants with the mean age of 71.

These people were visited every 2 years and were asked if in any way they felt left out, isolated or if they lacked companionship and were then put in the ‘lonely’ and ‘not lonely’ category respectively.

The outcomes of the study showed remarkable results. In fact, the participants who were lonely experienced increased difficulty in their activities of daily living (ADL), such as eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, walking and continence.

Another difficulty they experienced was in their upper extremity tasks, such as extending their arms above their shoulders, pushing or pulling larger objects and lifting or carrying weights heavier than 10 pounds. The lonely participants also experienced decline in mobility and increased difficulty in stair climbing.

The study also showed that lonely people had a greater death rate compared to those who were visited by their relatives and who socialized regularly. More precisely, during the 6 year period of the study, only 14% of the participants who were not lonely died, compared to 23% of the participants who were lonely. This means that loneliness did have a strong impact on the participants’ longevity.

As people grow older, they tend to give greater importance to their relationship with their families; and although they show greater tolerance to being lonely, the effects of loneliness can turn out as fatal. These people tend to get more depressed, eat less and function mechanically.

So ask yourselves how much time you could devote to your parents and grandparents, if you knew that this time spent bonding with them can improve the quality of their life and their longevity? People cannot live a rich life if lonely, as we are by nature social animals.

And never forget that whatever life your parents could offer to you was the best they could do. Caring for them in their old age means a lot more than helping them out with their health problems and other things they don’t feel powerful enough to do. On the contrary, the greatest empowerment they need in order to care for themselves comes from companionship and bonding with their family.

Sources:
Perissinotto CM, Stijacic Cenzer I, Covinsky KE. Loneliness in Older Persons A Predictor of Functional Decline and Death. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(14):1078-1084. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2012.1993

This Is How Sweden Has Redesigned Streets To Route Around Bad Human Behavior

The need for safety on the road has been a very concerning topic for a very long time. The truth is, every 25 seconds, someone dies on the roads. The death toll on the roads for last year reached a staggering 1,2 million people. In the United States alone, 34,064 people died in the last year with a count of 10.6 people per 100k.

Sweden’s solution for this problem is called ‘Vision Zero’, where ‘Zero’ stands for the aimed number of deaths in traffic. Although they haven’t come to this number yet, their efforts in improving the traffic conditions and laws have placed them in WHO’s lightest category counting a number of 0 to 4 deaths per 100k people. In fact, the number of deaths per 100k in Sweden reached to only 2,8 people last year!

So what exactly is Vision Zero?

Vision Zero was an idea conceived in 1994 and has become part of Sweden’s Road Traffic Safety Bill ever since. The idea behind Vision Zero states that errors are an inevitable part of human nature and that instead of correcting people, the greatest effort should be put in improving the traffic conditions. This means putting the greatest responsibility on road engineers instead of the drivers and all other people who are part of the traffic safety problem.

Vision Zero does not focus on eliminating traffic accidents altogether. As Matts-Åke Belin states in his interview for Citylab, “…the accident is not the major problem. The problem is that people get killed or seriously injured.” The main focus that Vision Zero has is eliminating deaths and serious injuries by reducing the impact these accidents may have on the people involved.

Some of the changes Vision Zero involves are a reduction in driving speed in urban areas to 30kmph (or 18.6mph) and the introduction of roundabouts instead of intersections. Belin explains these two changes in a very simple way. Concerning the speed limit, Belin states that “…if you get hit by a car at 50 the risk for a fatal accident is more than 80 percent. But it is less than 10 percent when you have 30 kilometers per hour.”

The roundabouts are not only implemented to reduce deaths on the intersections by driving past the red light or turning right when pedestrians have the green light. It is also there to reduce the driving speed. Belin points to the need for roads which would not make it easy to drive fast even if you wanted to. In addition speed bumps, roundabouts require slower driving speed by design.

Enforcement doesn’t play the greatest role in Sweden’s traffic safety.

Enforcement focuses primarily on the idea that people should ‘behave’ when driving and should be punished if they don’t. Sweden takes a different turn on this idea. Although enforcement is present and plays a role in Sweden, the biggest role is given to engineering.

The role of the police has its own importance, but as Belin says, “If you have a very dedicated police staff and they think it’s the most important thing, then you can be quite effective working with police. But I don’t think you will get a safe system. You will reduce risk, but you will not achieve a safe system.”

Vision Zero’s primary focus is thus knowledge and experience in designing and developing a traffic system with all the components essential for road safety. The approach for each local initiative is meant to be holistic, which means there are no preset solutions that would apply for every area.

A very curious fact regarding Sweden’s enforcement is the use of cameras. Sweden has one of the largest camera systems in the world, per population, but, as Belin explains, these cameras serve to “nudge” people, not catch them. Belin says that this method has increased the compliance on the roads from 50 to more than 80 or 90 percent.

“We reduce the speed, but we don’t catch people. And we don’t earn any money. It’s an investment for us.” The truth is that the Swedish government is not trying to make profit out of people’s errors. On the contrary, the system’s aim is to create a safer place on the roads through collaboration and responsibility and many of the enforcement methods aim to remind people of the same.

Will this become possible outside Sweden?

 The good news is that Vision Zero aims to spread as an idea accepted worldwide. They offer help in the construction of a safe system for every country and hold symposiums for the same purpose. Such a symposium was held in New York and NY is pursuing a version of Vision Zero.

Vision Zero could mean a potential end of road deaths worldwide. Perhaps we will see that day where all the people involved in the traffic will be able to coexist freely and safely very soon!

Sources:
www.visionzeroinitiative.com (Retreived 16 Jan 2017)
http://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_traffic/death-on-the-roads/en/ (Retreived 16 Jan 2017)
http://www.citylab.com/commute/2014/11/the-swedish-approach-to-road-safety-the-accident-is-not-the-major-problem/382995/?utm_source=SFTwitter (Retreived 16 Jan 2017)

Dallas Is Getting A $600 Million Urban Park That’s More Than 11 Times As large As Central Park

The city of Dallas has announced plans to build the biggest urban park in America – the Trinity River Part – that is set to span an amazing 10,000 acres of forests, playgrounds, lawns, riverside trails and endless marvelous sights.  

Image: Michael Van Valkenburgh  Associates Inc

This so called “nature district” is a great leap forward for Dallas to become a much “greener” city as the new city park will be almost 12 times as large as Central Park in Manhattan.

Image: Michael Van Valkenburgh  Associates Inc

Aside from people being able to have peacefull walks along the Trinity River, the Trinity River Park will also feature  a myriad of sport fields, flora and fauna, walkways and endless green and pleasant views.

Image: Michael Van Valkenburgh  Associates Inc

The Harold Simmons Park will part of this nature district and it will feature pedestrian overpasses, roads and many more amazing additions.

Image: Michael Van Valkenburgh  Associates Inc

As it is part of a flood zone, the architect Michael Van Valkenburgh from Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc has found a solution how to deal with flooding.

If floods occur, the park will naturally flood only in controlled areas and the water will drain into sloped courses that will be designed in such a way that they will absorb the water, thus eliminating all danger to the surrounding areas.

The elevated parts of the park will be safe from flooding and will include sports fields, paved trails, a playground, walking trail a grassy lawn.

“To transform the Trinity Floodway into a world-class park and a catalyst for urban growth, MVVA placed two core concepts at the center of its design: civic spaces and naturalistic landscapes. Civic spaces, such as playgrounds, fountains, plazas and lawns, are located to provide a connection between the city and the floodplain, protect programmatic areas from extreme flooding, and bring a sense of identity to the dry side of the city’s levees. Riparian landscapes, on the other hand, will restore the ecological function and natural beauty of the channel and its banks while also reducing the vulnerability of pathways and other important design elements,” it says on the official project page.

This is how the park looks now.

This is how it will look once it is completed.

 

Image: Michael Van Valkenburgh  Associates Inc

Amazing, right?

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