The City Through the Screen: Has the New Eye Level Become the Ground?

The Ground as a Communication Surface

We’re already communicating at ground level. Just look at the markings on the asphalt – zebra crossings, yellow tactile dots on station platforms. But should we take it further? Should red and green traffic signals be moved down to the pavement too?

Christoffer Nejrup, an anthropologist and consultant at the firm Is It a Bird, studies how people navigate public space. Through his fieldwork – particularly in public transportation – he’s observed a rising trend: our posture is changing. Our gaze is lowered, and our bodies follow, often glued to our phones or laptops.

»People look down a lot in public transport. That really surprised me in my research,« says Christoffer Nejrup.

»This little screen has become our new form of presence. We’re in touch with people on Instagram, on calls, and so our heads tilt downward as we move from A to B. It’s changing the way we experience public space.«

He also points out that this isn’t just about technology – it’s about our desire for privacy.

»Many people look down to avoid contact. If you look up, you might make eye contact—and we tend to avoid that, especially on the train or at intersections. It’s a strategy to maintain privacy in public,« Christoffer Nejrup explains.

Screens Steal Our Attention

According to Christoffer Nejrup, it’s a problem when screens rob our attention in public space.

»What we lose when we look down is a sense of shared experience. We scroll to feel connection – but miss out on the community happening around us,« Christoffer Nejrup says.

Architect and Ph.D. Sidse Grangaard, senior researcher at BUILD at Aalborg University, shares that concern. She leads the Universal Design research group and explores how to create environments inclusive of all demographics.

»It’s essential that we can all use the same city space, that we see one another, and don’t become strangers to each other,« Sidse Grangaard says.

Grangaard emphasizes that walking around with your head buried in your phone is not healthy behavior – and design shouldn’t encourage it, but rather nudge people toward presence and interaction.

»I don’t think we should design for screen behavior – just as we wouldn’t design for any other harmful behaviors, like crime,« Sidse Grangaard notes.

Screen-Loving Pedestrians and Padded Poles

In other countries, measures have been taken to prevent accidents: in Honolulu, it’s illegal to look at your phone while crossing the street. Offenders can be fined anywhere from $15 to $90 depending on repeat violations.

In London, some lamp posts have been padded to protect inattentive walkers. In Augsburg, Germany, ground-level traffic lights let people see red or green without having to lift their heads.

Design That Encourages Presence

For Christoffer Nejrup, the solution isn’t designing for the downward gaze – but away from it. He highlights behavioral design that creates positive friction – gentle disruptions that restore our presence in the city.

Behavioral design subtly influences our choices, like footsteps painted on sidewalks or placing vegetables at eye level to encourage healthier decisions.

»We need to create positive friction in urban spaces. Something that makes us look up and notice each other,« Christoffer Nejrup says.

»Take the Bicycle Snake bridge in Copenhagen. It could’ve been straight, but the curves force cyclists to stay aware and work together as they ride,« Christoffer Nejrup says.

This positive friction creates small challenges that disrupt unwanted behaviors. The Bicycle Snake’s flowing form engages the senses and demands attention in a playful way.

Another example comes from the Netherlands.

»At certain intersections, all cars get red lights while all bikes get green. No one has priority – you have to make eye contact and cooperate. And it works – fewer accidents. It shows what happens when we’re forced out of our bubble,« says Christoffer Nejrup.

We Wither Without Stimulation

Sidse Grangaard also cautions against designing for downcast eyes – even though her universal design research emphasizes inclusivity for all bodies.

»Universal design supports those with the greatest needs – it’s not about normalizing unhealthy behaviors. It’s not a right to move through the city without paying attention. It’s a shame people aren’t lifting their heads and taking in everything the city offers,« says Sidse Grangaard.

She advocates for more sensory engagement in city design.

»Our bodies need to sense – see, hear, smell, feel. I honestly believe we wither if we’re not stimulated,« Sidse Grangaard says.

Another example of positive friction, according to Christoffer Nejrup, is The Green Path – a long bike and pedestrian route in Copenhagen.

Winding from Nørrebro to Frederiksberg, this nearly 10-kilometer path offers a sensory bath. It weaves through backyards, parks, garden allotments, and apartment blocks. Along the way, you encounter urban spots like Superkilen, the Red Square, and the lush, undulating parkland near Copenhagen Business School.

It accommodates cyclists, walkers, and runners while also offering pockets of nature, green pauses, and rhythm breaks in the city.

»You feel the wind, see leaves flutter, lock eyes with a fellow cyclist at a crossing. These small moments of contact and presence remind us to relate to one another and to the space we’re in,« says Christoffer Nejrup.

»If we design cities so people can move through them without noticing anyone or anything, we lose something essential. Then we’re just protagonists in our own isolated narratives – and no city can sustain that,« he concludes.