Bærum Municipality faces a challenge. As the population grows, they aim to keep car usage stable. The municipality wants to facilitate the use of bike paths, trails, and a good public transport system. As part of this work, they have focused on shortcuts; both those that already exist and those that should be created.

Shortcuts emerge where pedestrian and bike paths do not meet residents’ needs. Because shortcuts often arise spontaneously, and sometimes cross private land, they are not part of the municipality’s planning framework. Thus, the municipality has no formal procedures for the operation and maintenance of these shortcuts, even though many use them. This can lead to reduced accessibility, especially in winter.

Together with Rambøll, designers from Halogen helped Bærum Municipality identify and further develop important shortcuts.

We focused on shortcuts in the areas of Bekkestua, Eiksmarka, and Rykkinn, using various methods to gather residents’ input on existing shortcuts or where new ones should be created. Residents ranging from children and senior citizens were involved to share how they use the municipality’s unofficial shortcuts and what improvements would be relevant for them.

"I broke my foot on a shortcut this autumn because it was dark and I couldn’t see where I was stepping."

-Student

The municipality will improve shortcuts

Knowledge of where residents want new and improved shortcuts has provided the municipality with a practical tool. Now, thanks to the design process, they can identify more shortcuts and develop initiatives with residents and voluntary organisations.

Photo: Rambøll

In addition, staff in the municipality have gained a better overview of who is responsible for improving and maintaining the shortcuts. The project has resulted in the first version of Bærum’s new standard for shortcuts.

The shortcut model describes how the municipality can gather knowledge on shortcut usage, prioritise and allocate responsibility for various initiatives, and what should be added to zoning plans. By using service design methods, the municipality learned how effective it is to work closely with residents, neighbourhood associations, and volunteers.

To share new shortcuts with residents, we designed a shortcut map for the three areas in Bærum. The maps allow local people to discover new shortcuts and reach their destinations faster, potentially discovering something new and exciting along the way.