Living Streets: Strategies for Crafting Public Space
The only book of its kind to provide an overview of sustainable street design
Today, society is moving toward a more sustainable way of life, with cities everywhere aspiring to become high-quality places to live, work, and play. Streets are fundamental to this shift. They define our system of movement, create connections between places, and offer opportunities to reconnect to natural systems. There is an increasing realization that the right-of-way is a critical and under-recognized resource for transformation, with new models being tested to create a better public realm, support balanced transportation options, and provide sustainable solutions for stormwater and landscaping.
Living Streets provides practical guidance on the complete street approach to sustainable and community-minded street use and design. Written by an interdisciplinary team of authors, the book brings insights and experience from urban planning, transportation planning, and civil engineering perspectives. It includes examples from many completed street design projects from around the world, an overview of the design and policy tools that have been successful, and guidance to help get past the predictable obstacles to implementation: Who makes decisions in the right-of-way? Who takes responsibility? How can regulations be changed to allow better use of the right-of-way?
Living Streets informs you of the benefits of creating streets that are healthier, more pleasant parts of life:
- Thoughtful planning of the location, uses, and textures of the spaces in which we live encourages people to use public space more often, be more active, and possibly live healthier lives.
- A walkable community makes life easier and more pleasant for everyone, especially for vulnerable populations within the larger community whose transportation limitations reduce access to jobs, healthy food, health care, recreation, and social interaction.
- Streets present opportunities to improve the natural environment while adding to neighborhood character, offering beauty, providing shade, and improving air quality.
If you're an urban planner, designer, transportation engineer, or civil engineer, Living Streets is the ultimate guide for the creation of more humane streetscapes that connect neighborhoods and inspire people.
Chapter 1 PLACEMAKING IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY 1
The Function of Places 2
Why Invest in a Quality Public Realm? 4
Placemaking and Design 5
Encouraging the Use of Public Space 11
Reclaiming Right-of-Way for Public Places 14
Considering All the Elements in the Right-of-Way 21
Chapter 2 MOBILITY 23
Connecting People to Places 24
Why Have Walkable, Bikeable Communities? 25
The Size and Shape of Movement 26
The Pace of Movement 34
A Shift in Thinking 35
Chapter 3 NATURAL SYSTEMS 39
Reconnecting Cities to Nature 40
Urban Biodiversity 41
Natural Systems and Opportunities in the Right-of-Way 42
Why Reconnect Nature and the City? 49
Chapter 4 ELEMENTS 51
Places to Move Through 52
Bicycle Facilities 61
Street Furniture 70
Street Trees and Landscaping 74
Swales and Rain Gardens 74
Curbs, Gutters, and Alternatives 77
Chapter 5 INFLUENCES 83
Considering Context 84
Policy Foundation—Policies That Infl uence Street Design 87
Codes, Guidelines, and Standards 93
Reality Factors 99
Chapter 6 TYPOLOGIES 113
Typologies Overview 113
Residential Streets 115
Green Streets 123
Main Streets 154
Shared-Use Streets 182
Festival Streets 193
Chapter 7 CASE STUDIES 207
Mint Plaza 208
Nord Alley 217
Central Annapolis Road 225
78th Avenue SE Shared Use 235
High Point 243
Barracks Row 255
New York City 263
Terry Avenue North 271
Chapter 8 WHAT'S NEXT 285
Biophilic Cities: More Nature in the City 286
New Technologies 287
Building the Dream 290
Lesley Bain, AIA, LEED, is an architect, urban designer, and Principal at Weinstein A|U Architects + Urban Designers LLC. Lesley has played prominent roles in many of Seattle's urban design efforts including pedestrian planning, station area development, campus planning, and incorporating transportation into neighborhoods.
Barbara Gray is an urban planner with eighteen years of professional experience in community design and transportation planning. She currently manages the Transportation Systems Design and Planning group for the Seattle Department of Transportation.
Dave Rodgers, PE, LEED, is recognized nationwide as being at the forefront of innovative sustainable design. He is a Principal at SvR Design Company.