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About Streets
- Introduction
- Defining Streets
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Shaping Streets
- The Process of Shaping Streets
- Aligning with City and Regional Agendas
- Involving the Right Stakeholders
- Setting a Project Vision
- Communication and Engagement
- Costs and Budgets
- Phasing and Interim Strategies
- Coordination and Project Management
- Implementation and Materials
- Management
- Maintenance
- Institutionalizing Change
- Measuring and Evaluating Streets
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Street Design Guidance
- Designing Streets for Great Cities
- Designing Streets for Place
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Designing Streets for People
- Utilities and Infrastructure
- Operational and Management Strategies
- Design Controls
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Street Transformations
- Streets
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Intersections
- Intersection Design Strategies
- Intersection Analysis
- Intersection Redesign
- Mini Roundabout
- Small Raised Intersection
- Neighborhood Gateway Intersection
- Intersection of Two-Way and One-Way Streets
- Major Intersection: Reclaiming the Corners
- Major Intersection: Squaring the Circle
- Major Intersection: Cycle Protection
- Complex Intersection: Adding Public Plazas
- Complex Intersection: Improving Traffic Circles
- Complex Intersection: Increasing Permeability
- Resources
Global Street Design Guide
-
About Streets
- Introduction
- Defining Streets
-
Shaping Streets
Back Shaping Streets
- The Process of Shaping Streets
- Aligning with City and Regional Agendas
- Involving the Right Stakeholders
- Setting a Project Vision
- Communication and Engagement
- Costs and Budgets
- Phasing and Interim Strategies
- Coordination and Project Management
- Implementation and Materials
- Management
- Maintenance
- Institutionalizing Change
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Measuring and Evaluating Streets
Back Measuring and Evaluating Streets
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Street Design Guidance
-
Designing Streets for Great Cities
Back Designing Streets for Great Cities
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Designing Streets for Place
Back Designing Streets for Place
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Designing Streets for People
Back Designing Streets for People
- Comparing Street Users
- A Variety of Street Users
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Designing for Pedestrians
Back Designing for Pedestrians
- Designing for Cyclists
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Designing for Transit Riders
Back Designing for Transit Riders
- Overview
- Transit Networks
- Transit Toolbox
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Transit Facilities
Back Transit Facilities
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Transit Stops
Back Transit Stops
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Additional Guidance
Back Additional Guidance
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Designing for Motorists
Back Designing for Motorists
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Designing for Freight and Service Operators
Back Designing for Freight and Service Operators
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Designing for People Doing Business
Back Designing for People Doing Business
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Utilities and Infrastructure
Back Utilities and Infrastructure
- Utilities
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Green Infrastructure and Stormwater Management
Back Green Infrastructure and Stormwater Management
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Lighting and Technology
Back Lighting and Technology
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Operational and Management Strategies
Back Operational and Management Strategies
- Design Controls
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Street Transformations
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Streets
Back Streets
- Street Design Strategies
- Street Typologies
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Pedestrian-Priority Spaces
Back Pedestrian-Priority Spaces
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Pedestrian-Only Streets
Back Pedestrian-Only Streets
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Laneways and Alleys
Back Laneways and Alleys
- Parklets
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Pedestrian Plazas
Back Pedestrian Plazas
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Pedestrian-Only Streets
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Shared Streets
Back Shared Streets
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Commercial Shared Streets
Back Commercial Shared Streets
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Residential Shared Streets
Back Residential Shared Streets
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Commercial Shared Streets
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Neighborhood Streets
Back Neighborhood Streets
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Residential Streets
Back Residential Streets
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Neighborhood Main Streets
Back Neighborhood Main Streets
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Residential Streets
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Avenues and Boulevards
Back Avenues and Boulevards
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Central One-Way Streets
Back Central One-Way Streets
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Central Two-Way Streets
Back Central Two-Way Streets
- Transit Streets
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Large Streets with Transit
Back Large Streets with Transit
- Grand Streets
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Central One-Way Streets
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Special Conditions
Back Special Conditions
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Elevated Structure Improvement
Back Elevated Structure Improvement
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Elevated Structure Removal
Back Elevated Structure Removal
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Streets to Streams
Back Streets to Streams
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Temporary Street Closures
Back Temporary Street Closures
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Post-Industrial Revitalization
Back Post-Industrial Revitalization
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Waterfront and Parkside Streets
Back Waterfront and Parkside Streets
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Historic Streets
Back Historic Streets
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Elevated Structure Improvement
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Streets in Informal Areas
Back Streets in Informal Areas
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Intersections
Back Intersections
- Intersection Design Strategies
- Intersection Analysis
- Intersection Redesign
- Mini Roundabout
- Small Raised Intersection
- Neighborhood Gateway Intersection
- Intersection of Two-Way and One-Way Streets
- Major Intersection: Reclaiming the Corners
- Major Intersection: Squaring the Circle
- Major Intersection: Cycle Protection
- Complex Intersection: Adding Public Plazas
- Complex Intersection: Improving Traffic Circles
- Complex Intersection: Increasing Permeability
- Resources
- Guides & Publications
- Global Street Design Guide
- Defining Streets
- The Economy of Streets
The Economy of Streets
A safe, vibrant, efficient street network is essential to the economic health of a city or region. Street design also plays a major role in facilitating access to formal and informal commerce, jobs, or the wholesale movement of goods. The up-front costs of constructing a street should be considered with regard to the benefits its design will confer throughout its lifespan.
Cost impacts of street design should be considered for individuals through value of travel time, public transportation access, fuel costs, and individual health, while the larger externalized cost to society can be examined through expenses such as those related to traffic crashes, hospital costs, negative environmental impacts, and congestion.
Health and Human Lives
The cost of lives lost and serious injuries caused by road crashes have a significant impact on the economy. Better-designed streets relieve mental and physical stress, lowering medical expenses and the need for social services.
Work and Productivity
Significant numbers of human working hours are lost as a result of time spent in congestion or injuries incurred in road crashes. These lost hours result in reduced productivity and, therefore, economic losses.
Business and Real Estate
Pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders generally spend more money at local retail businesses than people who drive cars, underscoring the importance of offering attractive, safe spaces for transit riders, pedestrians, and cyclists. Great streets have also been shown to add value to neighborhoods.
Construction and Maintenance
Narrow streets cost less to build and maintain. Using good-quality, durable materials can significantly reduce maintenance costs. Green alleys or streets and tree planting are estimated to be 3-6 times more effective in managing stormwater and reduce hard infrastructure cost.8
Footnotes
1. World Health Organization, Global status report on road safety (Geneva: WHO, 2013).
2. A modeling study of Portland, Oregon (USA) estimated that by 2040, investments in bike facilities (costing from $138 to $605 million) will result in healthcare-cost savings of $388 million to $594 million, fuel savings of $143 million to $218 million, and savings in the value of statistical lives of $7 million to $12 billion. Thomas Gotschi, “Costs & Benefits of Bicycling Investments in Portland, Oregon”. Journal of Physical Activity & Health 8 (2011), 49–58.
3. In America the average cost of congestion to a car-owning household is estimated to be $1,700 a year; in France it is $2,500. But traffic is so bad in Los Angeles that each resident loses around $6,000 a year twiddling their thumbs in traffic—at a total cost of $23 billion, the costs are estimated to exceed that of the whole of Britain. But these costs do not take account of the price of carbon-dioxide emissions. In total, over 15,000 kilotons of needless CO2 fumes were expelled last year—which would cost an additional $350m to offset at current market prices. In choked-up Los Angeles $50m alone would have to be set aside.
“The cost of traffic jams”, The Economist, accessed June 7, 2016 http://www.economist.com/blogs/economist-explains/2014/11/economist-explains-1.
4. L. J. Blincoe et al., The economic and societal impact of motor vehicle crashes (Washington, DC: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2010).
5. Chung Yim Yiu, “The Impact of a Pedestrianisation Scheme on Retail Rent-an Empirical Study in Hong Kong.” Journal of Place Management and Development 4, No.3 (2011).
6. New York City Department of Transportation, Measuring the Street: New Metrics for 21st Century Streets (New York, NY: NYC DOT, 2012).
7. Foster Josh, Lowe Ashley and Winkelman Steve. The Value of Green Infrastructure for Urban Climate Adaptation (Washington, DC: Center for Clean Air Policy, 2011)
8. Foster, The Value of Green Infrastructure for Urban Climate Adaptation
Adapted by Global Street Design Guide published by Island Press.
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