9. Overview
• New ways to look at street design
• Focus of Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS)
• What makes streets walkable?
10. Context Sensitive Solutions
“One Size Does Not Fit All”
Employment
Town Regional Center District Residential
Center Neighborhood
Commercial Corridor
Main Street Industrial St Residential
Commercial Mixed Use
Street
Street Street
12. How does this apply ?
• Regional Transportation Plans
• Comprehensive Plans
• Area and Master Plans
• Performance Based MPO Selection Criteria
• Thoroughfare Plan Updates
13. Conventional Thinking
Disregard context of
street
Applied blindly
without designer
discretion
Discourage flexibility
Fear of tort liability
14. CSS vs.Conventional Thinking
Conventional CSS Approach
Context: Context:
Urban Suburban
Rural General urban
Urban center
Urban core
Design criteria primarily based Design criteria primarily based
on: on:
Functional class Community objectives
Design speed Functional class
Forecast travel demand Thoroughfare type
Level of service Adjacent land use
15. Focus of CSS
• Major urban thoroughfares in
walkable areas
– “Major”:
• arterials and collectors
– “Urban/Downtowns”:
• Walkable suburbs, town and city centers,
neighborhoods
• mix of interactive land uses
• Viable, attractive choices
– Walking
– Biking
– Transit
Photo: Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill LLP
Context Sensitive Solutions in
Designing Major Urban
16. Focus of CSS
• Balance
– Safety
– Mobility
– Community objectives
– Environment
• Multimodal
• Involve public, stakeholders
• Interdisciplinary teams
• Flexibility in design
• Incorporate aesthetics Source: Minnesota Department of Transportation
23. Boulevard
• Divided arterial (4+ lanes)
• Target speed (45 mph or less)
• Through and local traffic
• Serve longer trips
• Access management
• Major transit corridor
• Primary freight route
• Emergency response route
• Limited curb parking
24.
25.
26. Multi-way Boulevard
• Characterized by:
– Central roadway for through traffic
– Parallel roadways access abutting property,
parking, and pedestrian and bicycle facilities
– Parallel roadways separated from the
through lanes by curbed islands
• Require significant right-of-way
• Special treatment of intersections
27.
28.
29. Avenue
• Arterial or collector (4 lanes max)
• Target speed (30 to 35 mph)
• Land access
• Primary ped and bike route
• Local transit route
• Freight - local deliveries
• Optional raised landscaped median
• Curb parking
33. Street
• Collector or local
• 2 lanes
• Target speed (25mph)
• Land access primary function
• Designed to:
– Connect residential neighborhoods
– Connect neighborhoods with commercial districts
– Connect local streets to arterials
• May be commercial main street
• Emphasizes curb parking
• Freight restricted to local deliveries
Context Sensitive Solutions in
Designing Major Urban
36. Roadside Design
• Roadside zones:
– Edge Zone
– Furnishings Zone
– Throughway Zone (ADA)
– Frontage Zone
• Function and dimensions
vary by context zone and
adjacent land use
37. Roadside Design
• Roadside zones
• Public places
• Placement of roadside
facilities
• Public art
• Sidewalk width and
function
• Pedestrian buffers
• Sidewalk/driveway/alley
crossings
• Street furniture
• Utilities
• Landscaping/street trees
38. The Urban Roadside – Uses and Activities
• Movement of pedestrians
• Access to buildings/property
• Utilities/appurtenances
• Transit stops
• Landscaping
• Urban design/public art
• Sidewalk cafes
• Business functions
• Civic spaces (plazas, seating)
44. What Makes People Walk?
• Pleasant & Interesting Environment…a
Human Scale
45. What Makes People Walk?
In most conventional suburban Walkable neighborhoods have streets
development, streets separate uses, that connect uses, with arterials
discouraging walking and forcing reserved for through traffic.
even local trips onto arterial roads.
47. Intersection Control
2 2
4
2
Same Total
Lanes
6 6
2
More Capacity
4 • VMT 2
• Turns
• Clearance Time
• Signal Phase
48. New Traffic Engineering MOEs
Traditional Place-Based
• Level of Service (auto) • Level of Service (multi-
• Delay reduction (speed) modal)
• Highest functional • Delay management (speed
classification (capacity) appropriate)
• Parking capacity (individual • Most context sensitive
parcel) functional classification
(multi-modal and internal
capacity)
• Parking capacity (park once
district/multiple parcels)
49. Networks Made of Walkable Streets
Street Level Urban Redesign
A redesign can do many things to improve the function,
appearance and safety of a roadway. It can be
accomplished by:
Removing lanes from a multi-lane roadway
4 lane to 3 lane conversions
Create parking and/or bike lanes out of existing
lanes
Widening sidewalks to encourage pedestrian
activity
