Urban Street Design Guide

Summary

The Urban Street Design Guide (USDG) 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 emphasises 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 North America clearly show how to implement best practices, as well as provide guidance for customizing design applications to a city’s unique needs.

The USDG outlines 5 goals and tenets of world-class street design:

• Streets are public spaces.
• Great streets are great for business.
• Design for safety.
• Streets can be changed.
• Act now!

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.