Design of Urban Street Networks

Norman W. GarrickLecture 8

Designing Connected Networks

www.cnu.org/sites/www.cnu.org/files/sustainable_street_network_principles_op.pdf

Principles or Goals of Sustainable Street Network Design

1. Support community and place2. Attract and sustain economic activities3. Maximize transportation choice4. Integrate with natural systems5. Respect the existing natural and built environment6. Emphasis walking as the fundamental unit of design7. Work with other transportation networks

Characteristicsof a Sustainable Street Network

1. Maximize Connectivity2. Provide Multiple Location where Different Transportation

Networks Overlap3. The network should be complex – rather than flat4. Major Streets should be Multimodal and Frequent5. All Streets should be Walkable6. Wide variety of street types

Portmore, Jamaica – Regional Context

Portmore – City Context

Portmore – Neighborhood Context

Assessing PortmoreOn Street Network Characteristics

1. Maximize ConnectivityRegional Scale – NoCity Wide Scale – NoNeighborhood - No

2. Provide Multiple Location where Different Transportation Networks OverlapMarginal

3. The network should be complex – rather than flatNo – flat design

4. Major Streets should be Multimodal and FrequentMajor streets design for cars/too sparse

5. All Streets should be WalkableMajor streets not walkable

6. Wide variety of street typesTwo or three street types at most

Prenzlauer Berg – Regional Context

Prenzlauer Berg – City Context

Prenzlauerberg

Berlin

The Streets of Prenzlauer Berg

Schoenhauser AlleeThe main street

Prenzlauer AlleeThe second main

street

PappelalleeA neighborhood shopping

street

RaumerstrasseA neighborhood shopping

street

Goehrener StrasseA residential street

Assessing Prenzlauer BergOn Street Network Characteristics

1. Maximize ConnectivityRegional Scale – YesCity Wide Scale – YesNeighborhood - Yes

2. Provide Multiple Location where Different Transportation Networks OverlapVery Good

3. The network should be complex – rather than flatVery complex in terms of street types and types of connections

4. Major Streets should be Multimodal and FrequentMajor streets multimodal and frequent

5. All Streets should be WalkableMajor streets are all walkable

6. Wide variety of street typesNumerous street types

Factors in Creating Diverse Street Type

What are the factors contributing to difference between streets types?

• Street cross-section design• Continuity of the street in the network• Type of intersection connection in the street network• Street alignment in the street network

Note that these are a combination of 1) Features of the street itself, and 2) Features of the street network.

For the best results, the street design should complement the street network design

Schoenhauser AlleeThe main

street

Schoenhauser AlleeThe main

street

Schoenhauser AlleeThe main

street

Prenzlauer AlleeThe second main street

PappelalleeA neighborhood shopping

street

PappelalleeA neighborhood shopping

street

RaumerstrasseA neighborhood shopping

street

Greigenhagener Strassesimilar to Goehrener Strasse

A residential street