Designing Streets for Place

Designing streets for place means considering the local culture and context. The specific characteristics of each site should help identify the uses and functions the street design must support. Shape streets to improve not only the built, but the natural, social, cultural, and economic environments. Whether changing the configuration of an existing roadbed or planning new neighborhoods, street design must always carefully consider the nature of its context. Streets have the power to drastically catalyze change in neighborhoods, or to enhance, protect, and improve what is already there.

Consider local culture and climate to ensure that the streets support daily routines, rituals, and behaviors. Provide access to new mobility choices and invite people to feel comfortable in their neighborhoods at all times of the day. Analyze what the street means, as a place, to the people who live and work nearby. Document how and when they use the street. Engage local communities and involve them in the process of transformation to ensure the adoption and long-term stewardship of the street.

As contexts change over time, mobility needs, activities, and behaviors will shift, and street designs should be chosen to best support current and future community goals and priorities.