“The street is the river of life of the city, the place where we come together, the pathway to the center.” –William H. Whyte

Streets account for as much as a third of the land in a city, and historically, they served as public spaces for social and economic exchanges. Under the planning policies of the past 70 years, however, people have for all intents and purposes given up their rights to this public property. While streets were once a place where we stopped for conversation and children played, they are now more the domain of cars than people. Even where sidewalks are present along highways and high-speed streets, they feel inhospitable and out of place.

Ironically, the single minded pursuit of creating efficiency for the automobile travel has also failed to successfully address transportation issues, as sprawling land use patterns and traffic congestion continue to grow exponentially despite new roadway mileage that generally outpaces population growth.

Which goes to show that, as PPS has long said, “If you plan for cars and traffic, you get cars and traffic. If you plan for people and places, you get people and places.” We have the ability to make different choices—starting with the decision to design our streets as comfortable places for people.

To broaden the perception of streets as places for people and activity, PPS has recently undertaken a major initiative called “Streets as Places.” The goals of this effort are to encourage communities to reclaim their streets as gathering spaces and to help transform the policies and practices of the transportation industry that currently favor and prioritize movement of vehicles over people and community. Through ongoing research, advocacy, training, and tool development, we will continue to inspire and organize citizens, policy makers, and transportation practitioners to reshape streets into places that provide greater economic vitality and more opportunities for civic engagement, as well as promoting the priorities of human health and environmental sustainability.

To achieve these benefits, every community needs at least one great street that attracts residents and visitors alike, whether it is a beautiful boulevard, a Main Street, or along the waterfront. Through its “Streets as Places” initiative, PPS is advocating a dramatic paradigm shift from conventional transportation planning that focuses almost exclusively on mobility to a process that prioritizes community benefits and recognizes transportation as a means of building the kinds of places we all cherish.

The “Streets as Places” philosophy approaches the planning and design of streets holistically, working to integrate many elements of the street environment to create vital places where people not only feel safe and comfortable, but also experience a sense of ownership and community. Placemaking emphasizes designing streets for people, not just modes of transportation. Street life and outdoor activities make a place lively, an outcome that a streetscape project alone cannot achieve. Great places that have high-quality destinations and can be comfortably accessed by foot, bike and transit, as well as cars, put little strain on the transportation system. By contrast, single-use spaces and sprawling land use patterns generate thousands of unnecessary vehicle-trips, creating dysfunctional and divisive roads, which further degrade the quality of community places.

More traffic and road capacity are not the inevitable result of growth. They are in fact the product of very deliberate choices that have been made to shape our communities around the private automobile. The problem is not automobiles themselves, but rather the sacrifices we have made to accommodate car traffic in our cities and towns.

Downtown streets can become destinations worth visiting, not just thruways to and from the workplace. Neighborhood streets can be places where parents feel safe letting their children play, and commercial strips can be designed as grand boulevards, safe for walking and cycling and allowing for both through and local traffic. Transit stops and stations can improve communities and make commuting by rail or bus a pleasure (an outcome of a related PPS initiative, “Thinking Beyond the Station.”)

We are poised to create a future where the rediscovered importance of walking and “alternative transportation modes” will bring more people out onto the streets—allowing these spaces to serve as public forums where neighbors and friends can again connect with one another.

• Attractions & Destinations. Having something to do gives people a reason to come to a place—and to return again and again. When there is nothing to do, a space will remain empty, which can lead to other problems. In planning attractions and destinations, it is important to consider a wide range of activities for: men and women; people of different ages; different times of day, week and year; and for people alone and in groups. Create an enticing path by linking together this variety of experiences.

• Identity & Image. Whether a space has a good image and identity is key to its success. Creating a positive image requires keeping a place clean and well-maintained, as well as fostering a sense of identity. This identity can originate in showcasing local assets. Businesses, pedestrians, and driver will then elevate their behavior to this vision and sense of place.

• Active Edge Uses. Buildings bases should be human-scaled and allow for interaction between indoors and out. Preferably, there are active ground floor uses that create valuable experiences along a street for both pedestrians and motorists. For instance, a row of shops along a street is more interesting and generally safer to walk by than a blank wall or empty lot. Sidewalk activity also serves to slow vehicular traffic. At the very minimum, the edge connection should be visual, allowing passers-by to enjoy the activity and aesthetics of the indoor space. These edge uses should be active year-round and unite both sides of the street.

• Amenities. Successful streets provide amenities to support a variety of activities. These include attractive waste receptacles to maintain cleanliness, street lighting to enhance safety, bicycle racks, and both private and public seating options—the importance of giving people the choice to sit where they want is generally underestimated. Cluster street amenities to support their use.

• Management. An active entity that manages the space is central to a street’s success. This requires not only keeping the space clean and safe, but also managing tenants and programming the space to generate daily activity. Events can run the gamut from small street performances to sidewalk sales to cultural, civic or seasonal celebrations.

• Seasonal Strategies. In places without a strong management presence or variety of activities, it is often difficult to attract people year-round. Utilize seasonal strategies, like holiday markets, parades and recreational activities to activate the street during all times of the year. If a street offers a unique and attractive experience, weather is often less of a factor than people initially assume.

• Diverse User Groups. As mentioned previously, it is essential to provide activities for different groups. Mixing people of different race, gender, age, and income level ensures that no one group dominates the space and makes others feel unwelcome and out of place.

• Traffic, Transit & the Pedestrian. A successful street is easy to get to and get through; it is visible both from a distance and up close. Accessible spaces have high parking turnover and, ideally, are convenient to public transit and support walking and biking. Access and linkages to surrounding destinations must be a part of the planning process. Automobile traffic cannot dominate the space and preclude the comfort of other modes. This is generally accomplished by slowing speeds and sharing street space with a range of transportation options.

• Blending of Uses and Modes. Ground floor uses and retail activities should spill out into the sidewalks and streets to blur the distinction between public and private space. Shared street space also communicates that no one mode of transportation dominates.

• Protects Neighborhoods. Great streets support the context around them. There should be clear transitions from commercial streets to nearby residential neighborhoods, communicating a change in surroundings with a concomitant change in street character.

Growing reams of research show that communities with conveniently walkable streets and less dependence on autos for all their transportation needs see a host of other benefits.

Environment. Air pollution is reduced. Sprawl eats up less of the surrounding countryside. Less pavement means more green space and better water quality.

Health. Walkable communities increase people’s exercise levels, thereby reducing obesity and health risks. Opportunities to bike offer the same benefits. Studies show that exercise and community interaction, both easily accomplished by taking a stroll, can significantly boost people’s mental health.

Economic Prosperity. Just as people are attracted to lively streets, so are new businesses. Local shopping streets generally have a much higher percentage of locally-owned merchants, which means that money spent in the community stays in the community.

Civic Engagement. Face-to-face contact on the street is, in the words of Jane Jacobs, “the small change from which a city’s wealth of public life grows.” No one gets to know their neighbors or hatches plans for a neighborhood improvement project simply by waving at folks from behind a windshield.

Community Spirit. The social life of a place flourishes when streets and sidewalks function as public spaces. As William H. Whyte said, “What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people.”

Social Equity. Young people, old people, disabled people and poor people become distinctly second-class citizens in a community where cars are the only safe or convenient way to get around. Many of them live under a form of house arrest — unable to easily meet friends, go shopping, attend school, commute to work, or participate in the life of the community on their own.

Public Safety. Streets bustling with pedestrians day and night seldom become the scenes of crimes. Actually, speeding traffic threatens us more than muggers — especially endangering the safety of our kids, pets and older or disabled friends. Transforming streets into public spaces levels the playing field between motorists and pedestrians, helping keep everyone safer and saner.

Curbing Climate Change. Emissions of greenhouse gases decrease in communities where streets are redesigned to encourage people to drive less and take advantage of other forms of transportation. This is a major step in the fight against global climate disruption.

Reducing Congestion. No one likes traffic jams — drivers and bus passengers heading home to their families, neighboring residents getting an extra dose of exhaust and noise, public officials and transportation planners who hear constant complaints from the people they serve. Reducing traffic is a win-win-win for everyone.

Overall Quality of Life. “The importance of pedestrian public places cannot be measured, but most other important things in life cannot be measured either: Friendship, beauty, love and loyalty are examples. Parks and pedestrians places are essential to a city’s happiness,” notes Enrique Penalosa, former mayor of Bogota, Colombia, who made the city a world leader in public transit, bicycle paths, greenways and public spaces.