Urban Street Design Guide

The Nacto Urban Street Design Guide Shows How Streets Of Every Size Can Be Reimagined And Reoriented To Prioritize Safe Driving And Transit, Biking, Walking, And Public Activity. Unlike Older, More Conservative Engineering Manuals, This Design Guide Emphasizes The Core Principle That Urban Streets Are Public Places And Have A Larger Role To Play In Communities Than Solely Being Conduits For Traffic. The Well-illustrated Guide Offers Blueprints Of Street Design From Multiple Perspectives, From The Bird’s Eye View To Granular Details. Case Studies From Around The Country Clearly Show How To Implement Best Practices, As Well As Provide Guidance For Customizing Design Applications To A City’s Unique Needs. Urban Street Design Guide Outlines Five Goals And Tenets Of World-class Street Design: • Streets Are Public Spaces. Streets Play A Much Larger Role In The Public Life Of Cities And Communities Than Just Thoroughfares For Traffic.^ • Great Streets Are Great For Business. Well-designed Streets Generate Higher Revenues For Businesses And Higher Values For Homeowners. • Design For Safety. Traffic Engineers Can And Should Design Streets Where People Walking, Parking, Shopping, Bicycling, Working, And Driving Can Cross Paths Safely. • Streets Can Be Changed. Transportation Engineers Can Work Flexibly Within The Building Envelope Of A Street. Many City Streets Were Created In A Different Era And Need To Be Reconfigured To Meet New Needs. • Act Now! Implement Projects Quickly Using Temporary Materials To Help Inform Public Decision Making.^ Elaborating On These Fundamental Principles, The Guide Offers Substantive Direction For Cities Seeking To Improve Street Design To Create More Inclusive, Multi-modal Urban Environments. It Is An Exceptional Resource For Redesigning Streets To Serve The Needs Of 21st Century Cities, Whose Residents And Visitors Demand A Variety Of Transportation Options, Safer Streets, And Vibrant Community Life. Introduction. Foreword -- About The Guide -- Streets. Street Design Principles -- Street Design Elements. Lane Width -- Sidewalks -- Curb Extensions -- Vertical Speed Control Elements -- Transit Streets -- Stormwater Management -- Interim Design Strategies. Interim Design Strategies -- Parklets -- Temporary Street Closures -- Interim Public Plazas -- Intersections. Intersection Design Principles -- Intersection Design Elements. Crosswalks And Crossings -- Corner Radii -- Visibility/sight Distance -- Traffic Signals -- Design Controls. Design Controls -- Design Speed -- Design Vehicle -- Design Hour -- Design Year -- Performance Measures -- Functional Classification -- Resources. Notes -- References -- Credits. Contents 7 Foreword 9 About the Guide 11 Using the Guide 12 Streets 13 Street Design Principles 15 Key Principles 16 Phases of Transformation 18 Street Design in Context 19 Downtown 1-Way Street 20 EXISTING CONDITIONS 20 RECOMMENDATIONS 20 Downtown 2-Way Street 22 EXISTING CONDITIONS 22 RECOMMENDATIONS 23 Downtown Thoroughfare 24 EXISTING CONDITIONS 24 RECOMMENDATIONS 24 Neighborhood Main Street 26 EXISTING CONDITIONS 26 RECOMMENDATIONS 26 Neighborhood Street 28 RECOMMENDATIONS 28 Yield Street 29 RECOMMENDATIONS 29 Boulevard 30 RECOMMENDATIONS 30 Residential Boulevard 32 EXISTING CONDITIONS 32 RECOMMENDATIONS 33 Transit Corridor 34 RECOMMENDATIONS 34 Green Alley 36 RECOMMENDATIONS 36 Commercial Alley 37 RECOMMENDATIONS 37 Residential Shared Street 38 EXISTING CONDITIONS 38 RECOMMENDATIONS 38 Commercial Shared Street 40 EXISTING CONDITIONS 40 RECOMMENDATIONS 40 Street Design Elements 43 Lane Width 45 DISCUSSION 46 RECOMMENDED 46 OPTIONAL 47 Sidewalks 49 Sidewalk Zones 50 FRONTAGE ZONE 50 PEDESTRIANTHROUGH ZONE 50 STREET FURNITURE/CURB ZONE 51 ENHANCEMENT/BUFFER ZONE 51 Sidewalk Design 52 DISCUSSION 52 CRITICAL 52 RECOMMENDED 54 OPTIONAL 56 Curb Extensions 57 APPLICATION 58 BENEFITS & CONSIDERATIONS 58 Gateway 59 CRITICAL 59 RECOMMENDED 59 OPTIONAL 59 Pinchpoint 60 RECOMMENDED 60 OPTIONAL 60 Chicane 61 RECOMMENDED 61 OPTIONAL 61 Bus Bulbs 62 CRITICAL 62 RECOMMENDED 62 OPTIONAL 62 Vertical Speed Control Elements 63 APPLICATION 64 BENEFITS & CONSIDERATIONS 64 Speed Hump 65 CRITICAL 65 RECOMMENDED 65 Speed Table 66 CRITICAL 66 RECOMMENDED 66 OPTIONAL 66 Speed Cushion 67 CRITICAL 67 RECOMMENDED 67 OPTIONAL 67 Transit Streets 69 Dedicated Curbside/Offset Bus Lanes 70 APPLICATION 70 BENEFITS & CONSIDERATIONS 70 CRITICAL 70 RECOMMENDED 70 OPTIONAL 70 Dedicated MedianBus Lanes 72 APPLICATION 72 BENEFITS & CONSIDERATIONS 72 CRITICAL 72 RECOMMENDED 72 OPTIONAL 72 Contra-FlowBus Lanes 73 APPLICATION 73 BENEFITS & CONSIDERATIONS 73 CRITICAL 73 RECOMMENDED 73 OPTIONAL 73 Bus Stops 74 DISCUSSION 74 CRITICAL 75 RECOMMENDED 75 OPTIONAL 76 Stormwater Management 77 APPLICATION 78 Improve water quality 78 Detain stormwater flows 78 Reduce stormwater volumes 78 Relieve burden on municipalwaste systems 78 BENEFITS & CONSIDERATIONS 78 Bioswales 79 CRITICAL 79 RECOMMENDED 79 Flow-ThroughPlanters 80 CRITICAL 80 RECOMMENDED 80 OPTIONAL 80 Pervious Strips 81 CRITICAL 81 RECOMMENDED 81 OPTIONAL 81 Pervious Pavement 82 CRITICAL 82 RECOMMENDED 82 OPTIONAL 82 Interim Design Strategies 83 Interim Design Strategies 85 Moving the Curb 86 From Pilot to Permanent 88 Parklets 89 APPLICATION 90 BENEFITS & CONSIDERATIONS 90 CRITICAL 90 RECOMMENDED 91 OPTIONAL 91 Temporary Street Closures 93 DISCUSSION 94 CRITICAL 94 RECOMMENDED 94 OPTIONAL 94 Interim Public Plazas 97 APPLICATION 98 BENEFITS & CONSIDERATIONS 98 CRITICAL 98 RECOMMENDED 98 OPTIONAL 99 Intersections 101 Intersection Design Principles 103 Principles 104 Major Intersections 106 EXISTING CONDITIONS 106 RECOMMENDATIONS 106 Intersections of Major and Minor Streets 108 EXISTING CONDITIONS 108 RECOMMENDATIONS 109 Raised Intersections 110 RECOMMENDATIONS 110 Mini Roundabout 111 RECOMMENDATIONS 111 Complex Intersections 112 Complex Intersection Analysis 114 CONTEXT 114 GEOMETRY, SIGNALS,SIGNS, & MARKINGS 114 VEHICLE VOLUMES 114 PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY 115 TRANSIT & BICYCLE ACTIVITY 115 SIGNALIZATION 115 Redesign 116 CLARITY 116 COMPACTNESS 116 MULTI-MODAL 116 CONFLICT REDUCTION 117 RIGHT SIZING 117 PUBLIC SPACE 117 Intersection Design Elements 119 Crosswalks and Crossings 121 Crosswalks 122 DISCUSSION 122 CRITICAL 122 RECOMMENDED 123 OPTIONAL 123 Conventional Crosswalks 124 CRITICAL 125 RECOMMENDED 125 OPTIONAL 125 Midblock Crosswalks 126 RECOMMENDED 127 OPTIONAL 127 Pedestrian Safety Islands 128 DISCUSSION 128 CRITICAL 128 RECOMMENDED 128 OPTIONAL 128 Corner Radii 129 DISCUSSION 130 RECOMMENDED 131 OPTIONAL 131 Visibility/Sight Distance 133 DISCUSSION 134 CRITICAL 135 RECOMMENDED 135 OPTIONAL 136 Traffic Signals 137 Signalization Principles 138 Leading Pedestrian Interval 140 APPLICATION 140 BENEFITS & CONSIDERATIONS 140 CRITICAL 140 RECOMMENDED 140 OPTIONAL 140 Split-Phasing 141 APPLICATION 141 BENEFITS & CONSIDERATIONS 141 Signal Cycle Lengths 142 DISCUSSION 143 BENEFITS & CONSIDERATIONS 143 CRITICAL 143 RECOMMENDED 143 OPTIONAL 143 Fixed vs. Actuated Signalization 144 APPLICATION 144 BENEFITS & CONSIDERATIONS 144 CRITICAL 144 RECOMMENDED 144 OPTIONAL 145 Coordinated Signal Timing 146 APPLICATION 146 BENEFITS & CONSIDERATIONS 146 Design Controls 147 Design Controls 149 Design Speed 151 DISCUSSION 152 CRITICAL 153 RECOMMENDED 153 OPTIONAL 153 Speed ReductionMechanisms 154 Design Vehicle 155 DISCUSSION 156 CRITICAL 156 RECOMMENDED 157 OPTIONAL 158 Design Hour 159 DISCUSSION 160 CRITICAL 161 RECOMMENDED 161 OPTIONAL 162 Design Year 163 TRAFFIC GROWTHPROJECTIONS 164 INDUCED DEMAND 165 ALTERNATE METHODS 166 Comparative Projection 166 Growth Projection 166 Mode Targets 166 Greenhouse gas reductions 166 Induced Demand Projection 166 Performance Measures 167 PEDESTRIANS 168 BICYCLISTS 168 VEHICLES 169 TRANSIT 169 FREIGHT 169 EMERGENCY VEHICLES 169 LEVEL OF SERVICE 170 Functional Classification 171 DISCUSSION 172 Resources 175 Notes 177 References 186 Credits 191 The NACTO Urban Street Design Guide shows how streets of every size can be reimagined and reoriented to prioritize safe driving and transit, biking, walking, and public activity. Unlike older, more conservative engineering manuals, this design guide emphasizes the core principle that urban streets are public places and have a larger role to play in communities than solely being conduits for traffic. The well-illustrated guide offers blueprints of street design from multiple perspectives, from the birds eye view to granular details. Case studies from around the country clearly show how to implement best practices, as well as provide guidance for customizing design applications to a city's unique needs. Urban Street Design Guide outlines five goals and tenets of world-class street design: Streets are public spaces. Streets play a much larger role in the public life of cities and communities than just thoroughfares for traffic. Great streets are great for business. Well-designed streets generate higher revenues for businesses and higher values for homeowners. Design for safety. Traffic engineers can and should design streets where people walking, parking, shopping, bicycling, working, and driving can cross paths safely. Streets can be changed. Transportation engineers can work flexibly within the building envelope of a street. Many city streets were created in a different era and need to be reconfigured to meet new needs. Act now! Implement projects quickly using temporary materials to help inform public decision making. Elaborating on these fundamental principles, the guide offers substantive direction for cities seeking to improve street design to create more inclusive, multi-modal urban environments. It is an exceptional resource for redesigning streets to serve the needs of 21st century cities, whose residents and visitors demand a variety of transportation options, safer streets, and vibrant community life.-- Source other than Library of Congress Front Matter....Pages i-x Streets....Pages 1-30 Street Design Elements....Pages 31-70 Interim Design Strategies....Pages 71-88 Intersections....Pages 89-106 Intersection Design Elements....Pages 107-134 Design Controls....Pages 135-162 Back Matter....Pages 163-181