Corridors

A corridor is a major road connecting many districts across the region, and in some conditions may be viewed as a “linear district.” Corridors represent a tremendous reservoir of underutilized land where infill, reuse, and redevelopment efforts can be focused. Multi-modal corridors, with highly developed pedestrian and bicycle facilities and high levels of transit service present unique opportunities for uniting districts and cores, place-making efforts, and increasing local and regional mobility.

 

Transform arterials into multimodal boulevards. Design the street to accommodate a variety of modes including automobiles, transit, bikes, and pedestrians. Design narrower streets to prioritize a few modes, not all, since, for example, bicycle-priority streets will often limit transit capacity.

Design Guidelines
Policy & Implementation
The Role of Local Government & Transit First Policies
Guiding Principles of Land Use
Flexible Zoning Strategies
Street Design Implementation
Revising Transportation Analysis Practices
Transportation Demand Management
Rethinking Vehicle Parking Requirements
Parking Management
Best Practices to Attract Successful Developers
Clarifying Design Expectations
Integrating Retail into Transit Oriented Development
Community Planning for Rail Transit
Additional Resources
Body

 

Graphic showing a cross section of a street surrounded by white buildings with sidewalks, vehicle lanes, transit, and bike lanes highlighted and with callouts
Multi-Modal Boulevard
Photo of a multi-lane roadway with cars parked on one side and a bicyclist in the bike lane and a green car in a travel lane
Sloat Boulevard, San Francisco, CA (Source: Flickr - Sergio Ruiz)
Photo from above many tall buildings looking down a roadway that splits partway through with red bus only lanes on one side and a pedestrian plaza in the center
Lathum Square, Oakland, CA (Source: Flickr - Sergio Ruiz)

Vary cross-sections along the length of the corridor to support adjoining uses. In response to heavy pedestrian and transit use in busy core areas, traffic lanes may be narrowed, and sidewalks widened. Planting strips, medians, and curb bulb-outs further support pedestrian comfort and traffic calming in busy core areas.

 

Graphic of a cross section of a street delineating the sidewalk, parking lane, bicycle lane, and standard car lanes using callouts in blue
Vary Cross-Section to Support Adjoining Uses
Graphic showing a cross section of a street surrounded by white buildings with wide sidewalks and narrow vehicle lanes highlighted and with callouts
Vary Cross-Section in Busy Core Areas. Vehicle lanes must be 11 feet wide for VTA buses to operate
    Photo of a downtown area where cars are no longer allowed on the street so restaurant seating is placed in parking spaces and vehicle lanes. It is a sunny day with people sitting outside
    Downtown Mountain View, CA


    Sidewalks must be accessible and support a comfortable pedestrian environment free of obstructions like poles, fire hydrants, utility boxes, and poorly designed tree wells.

    • Provide a linear sidewalk route, minimizing directional changes where possible for optimal accessibility.

     

     

     

     

     

     


    Vary corridor treatment with context. Adjacent municipalities, VTA, and other relevant agencies should be engaged in the planning process to identify appropriate locations for nodes of higher density development, specifically around transit facilities and Priority Development Areas.

    • Consider transit-oriented residential development on corridor segments between the commercial nodes and mixed-use developments at nodes.
    Graphic of roadways with parcels on all sides with higher concentrations of parcels where larger corridors cross other large corridors
    Corridors vary with context (Source: Previous CDT Manual)

    Graphic of an artists rendering of an intersection with high-visibility crosswalks, many people walking, people biking, a bus, and many trees with buildings
    Five Wounds Urban Village (Source: BSVII)

    Reinforce corridor identity by providing a public framework for corridors and nodes.

    • Establish a street design vision that can be applied corridor-wide in context with adjacent land-uses. This corridor vision should be based on a thorough public involvement process and applied through policy mechanisms such as design guidelines, general plans, zoning, and specific plans.

    • Attract catalyst projects that generate the character envisioned for the various segments of the corridor. Local governments should consider pursuing public-private partnerships to ensure high-quality development and design.

    • Invest in public amenities that create vibrant environments for people including pedestrian and bike networks, streetscape improvements, open space and recreation areas, public art, and destination uses such as museums, libraries, civic buildings, and parks.

    • Plan and design a mix of corridor land uses to offer community amenities for all nearby community members.