Venice and the Podia

"The best example of a city where foot and service traffic is completely segregated is Venice where all supplies are carried to the city on canals, while pedestrians walk on pavements which cross the canals by bridges. This segregation has worked admirably for many centuries and there is no good reason why the principle should not be applied equally effectively in City of London."

---The architects of Barbican Redevelopment April 1959.

So the Barbican is modeled on Venice