On Streetscape Design

Some of the most important features of an urban area are street layout and street design. These are responsible for not only transporting people, but also for promoting interaction with other people and with the surrounding environment. The design of an area's streetscape says much about how the area is used by those who live and work in it, as well as what kind of interaction it is intended for. The streetscape is composed of several components: sidewalks, the street itself, landscaping, and the design and orientation of buildings along the street.

The first aspect I will be examining is the sidewalk. Sidewalks serve many purposes, the transportation of pedestrians being one of them. They serve as a form of protection for a community, a basis for social interaction, and a location for children to play and be easily supervised.

-Sidewalks do not always breed pedestrians, and pedestrians can exist without sidewalks.

A well used sidewalk can function as a means of community protection because the people using it are witnesses to activities carried out on it. This is described in detail in The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs, which notes that criminal activity is less likely to occur in places with heavy public use, as there is a greater chance that there will be witnesses who can thwart the criminal's objectives or describe them to police.

 

Sidewalks facilitate social interaction because they act as a melting pot for people performing all varieties of activities. They serve as stages for street performers, transition areas between shops and restaurants, and act as platform for shopkeepers and street vendors to advertize to potential customers, either with menu displays in front of restaurants or with racks of clothing, records or books in front of shop doors.

Sidewalks also facilitate the safety of children and allow them to be supervised effectively, much in the same way that sidewalks also prevent crime. Children who play on sidewalks can be supervised without the need for parents and other adults to leave their houses, unlike parks. This also applies to store employees and shopkeepers, who also serve a surveillance and security purpose as they are part of the neighborhood and the street environment.

The second aspect I will look at is the design of the street. The street is responsible for transporting all non-pedestrian traffic through and around a city. Many counter-intuitive ideas surround street design and traffic volume, these ideas create hostile pedestrian environments and lower the economic potential of the streetscape.

Widening a street will increase traffic congestion, not lessen it. This is known as the rule of induced demand, that increasing capacity of a thoroughfare will entice users to use it and thus cause a net increase in congestion. This is often seen during rush hour when freeways experience gridlock, but secondary roads are relatively free of traffic. Freeways are used because drivers assume they are automatically faster because of their higher speed limits, regardless of the traffic volume they are carrying.

Wider streets also pose a hazard to pedestrians, as someone crossing the street has to cross more lanes of traffic which will most likely be moving at a higher speed. Wider streets also lead to an increase in vehicular accidents.

In addition, the higher speeds promoted by wider streets lessen the possible uses of the street, as bike lanes and improved sidewalks are less likely to be introduced along streets with high traffic speeds.

Streets carry vehicles other than cars, they also transport bicycles, buses, and streetcars. Each of these has specific needs and are accommodated in specific ways.

Bicycles require dedicated lanes, which should be placed between the sidewalk and the parallel parking area of a street. This is so that the line of parked cars can offer bicyclists a form of protection from other vehicles using the street.

Buses are the backbone of a city's public transportation system. However, their ride quality (a factor in attracting users by choice) varies greatly and depends primarily on the condition of pavement, which is difficult to maintain in an urban environment where it is heavily used. Bus stops are primarily located curbside, either directly on the sidewalk or on bus bulbs. Buses do not have traffic signal priority and often share lanes with cars, the exception to both of these being bus rapid transit.

Streetcars are the step between buses and light rail or metro systems, providing rail transit without the need for segregated rights of way. They usually do not have traffic signal priority, and stops can be either curbside or in street medians. Streetcars do not wear the pavement, and their use can help lead to lower road maintenance costs. However, streetcars cannot bypass obstacles on the tracks, and therefore can be slower than buses.

Street landscaping also plays a large role in the use (or lack thereof) of a street. Street trees shade a street and can make the street more attractive to pedestrians, but also limit the visibility of the street from upper floors of buildings. Bicycle racks and benches can serve to promote walking and alternative transportation, but also take up sidewalk space that could be used by businesses or
increase pedestrian capacity.

Lastly, the way buildings along the street are designed greatly impacts the way the street is used. To generate optimal pedestrian activity, buildings should be built up to the sidewalk, with parking either behind the buildings in alleyways or non-existent.

Building the parking lot in front of the building not only promotes transportation to and from the building via automobiles, but separates the pedestrian environment from the storefront, and creates a “dead zone” that the pedestrian must cross to enter the building. This space not only exposes one to pollution from automobiles, but can also pose a threat to one's safety as parking lots do not normally have surveillance cameras.

Most urban buildings are mixed use, supporting shops, restaurants or bars on the street level and apartments or condominiums on upper floors. These allow people not only to use transportation alternatives, but to also live above their workplaces if they so choose. However, if mixed use buildings are constructed in isolated pockets, they will not create vibrant streetscapes, as traveling between the pockets of mixed use cannot be done with walking alone.

The correct implementations and combinations of these elements can produce a streetscape that encourages alternative transportation, independent businesses, and public health. The incorrect use or disregard of these elements produces a streetscape that is hostile to the pedestrian and dangerous to the bicyclist, inefficient at moving traffic, and hostile to development.