Global Street Design Guide

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Global Street Design Guide

Existing Conditions


The condition illustrated above may be found in old parts of cities that were not designed for vehicle use but have evolved over time to accommodate motorized traffic.


These streets might bustle with commercial activity and pedestrians, but users are subject to unsafe conditions due to a combination of crowded sidewalks, traffic congestion, and missing crosswalk markings.


Travel lanes accommodate mixed vehicular traffic and collective transport, and are often congested.


This street has narrow sidewalks that are insufficient to allow commercial activity and heavy pedestrian volume to coexist without conflicts.



Mumbai, India

Design Guidance


When street space is restricted, transit and pedestrians are prioritized. When more space is available, additional pedestrian-priority space and wider sidewalks are encouraged, allowing a range of activities, landscaping, and street furniture.


 Restrict all vehicular access. Add accessible and grade-level, center running mass transit to give the street a shared quality and to ensure pedestrian priority.


Treat the street as a shared zone to  expand the pedestrian realm and increase permeability across the street.


Add side-boarding transit stops at wider sections of the street. Construct accessible platforms that enable fast and easy transit boarding. See: Transit Stops.


 Raise intersections to the transit grade where the transit street intersects with cross streets for continuous pedestrian access. Provide a change in pavement markings, pattern, or color to indicate areas where vehicles cross the street.


Add trees and native landscaping where width allows. Street furniture and vendors may be encouraged where possible but a clear  path for pedestrians must be maintained.


Loading and deliveries must be permitted only during off-peak hours. See: Volume and Access Management.



Zurich, Switzerland


Adapted by Global Street Design Guide published by Island Press.

Example 2: 32 m

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Example 2: 32 m