↑  The typologies consider land use context as well as citywide and neighbourhood goals

This is a good example of a very practical and citizen-relevant way to engage citizens

                            22 June 2020

Salt Lake City invites citizens to help reimagine the streets

A new set of 15 street classifications that include commercial shared street, neighbourhood corridor and urban green street aim to make the streets work better for everyone.

Salt Lake City, Utah, is seeking feedback on a new guide that puts forward a set of new ‘typologies’ that aims to reimagine the streets so they work better for everyone.

The Street & Intersection Typologies Design Guide details 15 new street designs which are assigned to each of the US city’s 8,400 public street segments. The public review will be open until 15 August 2020.

Survey-based

The typologies, or street classifications, are based on responses from a robust, values-based survey that was created last autumn, together with design inspiration from the US and international best practices. These draft designs were applied to nearly every public street within Salt Lake City limits.

The typologies include: commercial shared street; destination thoroughfare; neighbourhood corridor; neighbourhood green street; urban green street; and urban village street. These will supersede the traditional classifications such as ‘arterial’, ‘collector’, and ‘local’.

“Streets make up about 80 per cent of all public spaces in the city,” said Tom Millar, the Typologies Guide’s project manager with the City’s Transportation Division. “This design guide offers the people of Salt Lake City the opportunity to reimagine every street in Salt Lake City and redesign them from the ground up.”

The public are invited to comment on whether priorities have been properly reflected

The public are invited to comment on whether priorities have been properly reflected

Respondents from the survey indicated that they wanted streets that prioritised people­ by design: safer, more comfortable, more human-scale streets. This sentiment was consistent throughout all responses. Regardless of age, transportation choices, income, or neighbourhood, people walking, using mobility devices, and bicycling was the most important function of the public right-of-way.

“This design guide offers the people of Salt Lake City the opportunity to reimagine every street in Salt Lake City and redesign them from the ground up”

The typologies consider land use context as well as citywide and neighborhood goals, allocate appropriate space for each of the five most important and competing functions of the public right-of-way (see below), and prioritise people.

The functions are:

  • person mobility: the movement of people walking, using mobility devices and cycling
  • greening: livability, shade and environmental sustainability goals through street trees and vegetation
  • placemaking: activity, vibrancy and streets as places to be rather than just to travel through
  • kerbside uses: bus stops, street parking, pick-up/drop-off, bike parking and deliveries of goods
  • vehicle mobility: movement of vehicles and goods including transit, automobiles and freight.

The public is now invited to comment on whether priorities have been appropriately reflected in the 15 typologies and the map and share other designs and suggestions for improvement.

After this public review period concludes Salt Lake City will create a final draft of the Typologies Guide. This will be used to assist planners, designers, the public, and their representatives to better imagine, design, adjust, and maintain streets for all people of all ages and all abilities.

View original article at www.smartcitiesworld.net

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