re:Streets: Reclaiming America’s Streets to Promote Active, Healthy Living
As a public resource that covers about 30% of the land area in the average American city, streets are an underutilized resource in every community. re:Streets broadens the Complete Streets concept to describe how the function of streets can be expanded to create a vibrant and healthy community.
Streets take up about 30% of the land area in the average American city. Many residents do not have access to transportation, space for recreation and community gathering or convenient access to healthy foods. Why not use streets to promote active living and healthy communities instead of just for driving?
This session explores the future of America’s streets based on the results of re:Streets — a three-year research effort funded by the National Endowment for the Arts. re:Streets is a fundamental rethinking of America’s streets based on the most recent research on street design — including design charrettes held across the country involving hundreds of multidisciplinary professionals.
Daniel S. Iacofano, PhD, FACIP, FASLA, will explore the nine functions of well-designed streets, including multimodal mobility, social gathering, commerce, events and programs, play and recreation, urban agricultural, wayfinding, green infrastructure and community identity. He will share design guidelines for revitalizing our streets, including low or no cost ideas that can be immediately implemented and web resources available to everyone at www.restreets.org. Case studies will demonstrate the economic potential of streets and their role in promoting active, healthy living. re:Streets has exceeded expectations, mobilizing hundreds of professionals across the country to redesign streets as public spaces that meet human needs and contribute to public health and economic revitalization of our communities. These projects include implemented, built streets nationwide — from Texas to California.
Learning Objectives for this session are:
- Discuss ways that streets can function beyond mobility to promote active living and healthy communities.
- Use the online web resource, www.restreets.org, to learn about innovations in street design that are replicable and implementable by public works departments, departments of transportation (DOTs) and local activists.
- Identify one action that each participant will take to implement re:Streets concepts in their community.
During the keynote presentation, participants will have the opportunity to 1) discuss ways in which streets can meet the nine functions outlined in re:Streets with another participant; 2) use their cell phone to explore the re:Streets online design manual (www.restreets.org); and 3) list one action they will take to implement re:Streets concepts in their community and share this with another participant/small group.
Daniel S. Iacofano, PhD, FACIP, FASLA has more than 30 years of experience in urban planning and community design, specifically for downtowns, transit-oriented development, neighborhoods and urban centers. He is nationally recognized as an expert and innovator in the areas of community participation, consensus building and facilitation. Daniel’s diverse projects have addressed such issues as transportation, housing, economic development, land use and regional growth.
Mr. Iacofano was intimately involved in the creation of the Downtown Dallas 360 plan and has worked in a wide range of communities from Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Denver to Anchorage and Washington, D.C. He is a leader in the national re:Streets effort, exploring the future of streets and what America’s roadways would be like if they were designed for living, instead of just driving.
His professional involvements include membership in the American Society of Landscape Architects and American Planning Association, being a fellow at the American Institute of Certified Planners, and a former board member and officer of Environmental Design Research Association. He is a member of the Association of Environmental Professionals, California Redevelopment Association, and the International Association for the Study of People and Their Physical Surroundings (IAPS). Mr. Iacofano, PhD, FACIP, FASLA is a visiting lecturer for the Urban Studies Program at Stanford University & Landscape Architecture Program, University of California, Davis. His work has been recognized by the National League of Cities, The International Downtown Association, and The American Planning Association and the American Society of Landscape Architects.
He is author of Public Involvement as an Organizational Development Process (Garland Publishing 1990) and Meeting of the Minds: A Guide to Successful Meeting Facilitation (MIG Communications 2002) and co-editor of The Inclusive City (MIG Communications 2007).