• Five scenarios that make street transformation possible

    Why street design has not kept pace with automotive safety improvements, and what you can do about it.
    On my recent holiday travels, I pondered the tremendous improvements in motor vehicle safety in my lifetime. We didn't have shoulder straps, air bags, anti-lock brakes, front and rear crumple zones, and other now-standard life-saving features when I first rode in cars. Seat belts were strictly...Read more

  • Road diet bridges a barrier, boosts safety

    A breakthrough design on La Jolla Boulevard in San Diego cuts crashes by 90 percent and gives local business a shot in the arm.
    Note: This case study will be discussed at CNU 26 in Savannah . It was written for the Institute for Transportation Engineers new book Implementing Context Sensitive Design on Multimodal Corridors , funded by the Federal Highway Administration. The reconstruction of a section of La Jolla Boulevard...Read more

  • Reclaiming streets for people

    In Boston, a Transportation Department guide lays out a vision for streets as shared public spaces.
    When fragmented development and neglect for civic spaces leads to the loss of “organic community,” the situation calls for a public realm that creates a new generation of “third places.” Thanks to the innovative Guide to Placemaking for Mobility , Boston is moving in that direction across the more...Read more

  • Renovating a multipurpose main street

    Streetscape improvements have helped bring back an 18-hour-a-day character to the corridor. Crime has dropped and property values have risen.
    Note: This case study was written for the Institute for Transportation Engineers new book Implementing Context Sensitive Design on Multimodal Corridors , funded by the Federal Highway Administration. Greenville Avenue is the main street of a 1920s “streetcar suburb,” Lower Greenville, four miles...Read more