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Urban street pavements have historically represented the synthesis of functional and aesthetic values, capable of meeting the transportation needs and demands in which the pedestrian is always put at the centre of the project. The quality of a pedestrian-priority space must be read according to a series of specific indicators that combine the unbeatable aesthetic requirements with those of comfort and safety. To this end, an integrated approach of experimental measurements to characterise the quality of pedestrian paths (pedestrian-only streets, sidewalks, shared areas and plazas), with specific attention to stone and segmental pavements, was introduced. The different effects, in terms of vibrations and noise, that the pavement of a pedestrian path can generate on a user pulling a suitcase trolley (telescopic handle wheeled luggage), were evaluated. These values were than associated with other parameters capable of describing the characteristics of the pavement surface, such as surface macro- and micro-roughness, skid resistance and size of the elements and joints that make up the pavements. Comfort and safety thresholds for pedestrian street pavement surfaces have been identified. They can be usefully made available to designers for the functional characterisation of urban paving solutions, with particular attention to those in natural stone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of historical urban areas in western countries are paved with stone elements, which have been used since the expansion of land trade routes to the emergence of motorization. Any approach to the conservation and functional and structural rehabilitation of historically significant stone pavements must include an informed preliminary analysis of construction criteria. We present a historical study and engineering analysis of the most common types of stone pavements of this period based on an original database of technical documents, and our focus is on local terminology and constructive methodology used in Italy, Europe, and North America. The authors believe that a historical awareness and knowledge of the types of materials, the functions required of road surfaces, and the reasons for the choices of different soil preparations constitute indispensable requirements for the proper restoration and conservation of this immense common heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]