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Place building entrances to support pedestrian access and establish pedestrian connections between buildings to surrounding streets, transit stops, and bike and auto parking areas. Place entrances to...

Place windows and doors to invite and animate. Placement of a building’s entrance(s) is critical to the building’s relationship to the street.

• Provide main building entries on public streets or...

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...

Seattle, WA, USA - University District Urban Design Guidelines

The Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development undertook a four-year strategic partnership between the community, city, and...

Streets nest into the scaled nature of land use. Local and collector streets are land uses that fill in between buildings and sites. Arterial streets can serve as corridor spaces, which connect...

Create a connected network of streets, sidewalks, and bikeways.

• Streets should follow a grid pattern and avoid loops or cul-de-sacs that limit multi-modal access to peripheral streets. Where cul-de...

Provide wide sidewalks with unobstructed through zones. The through zone is the part of the sidewalk reserved for pedestrian movement along the street.

• Sidewalk widths should be in the range of 6...

Design narrower travelways. Travelway width affects pedestrian crossing distance and vehicle speed, but also the street’s sense of enclosure, visual appearance, and perception as a barrier. Wide...

Minimize conflict points and shorten crossing distances.

• Reduce the number of motor vehicle lanes pedestrians and bicyclists must cross. If the intersection legs are wide because of right-turn...

Speed up transit. On VTA’s high-frequency network, provide design and operational enhancements that reduce transit vehicle delay.

• Implement transit signal priority (TSP) by installing necessary...

Higher priority design elements and traffic management features on mixed-use streets support a thriving pedestrian environment.

• Provide wide sidewalks zones.
• Provide high-amenity transit...

San José, CA - Downtown Better Bikeways Quick-Build Network (2018 to 2019)

In 2018, inspired by international examples, San José began implementing a network of connected low-stress bikeways...

Fort Collins, CO, USA - Multimodal Level of Service Standards

The City of Fort Collins was one of the first cities to adopt Multimodal Level of Service (MMLOS) standards to evaluate how projects...

Washington State, USA - DOT Moving Washington Program

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is considered a national model for its...

Berkeley, CA, USA - Reforming Parking Policies to Support Smart Growth Study

The City of Berkeley, CA implemented a Smart Growth Study to better manage their parking supply, especially within their...

King County Metro Transit, WA, USA - Parking Supply Case Study

King County Metro Transit faced issues of high demand for Park & Ride facilities and did not have funding to create new parking. King...

Austin, TX, USA - Plaza Saltillo, Community Benefits Through Joint Development

Plaza Saltillo, a joint development project at Austin’s eastern Downtown Commuter Rail Station, opened its first phase...

Austin, TX, USA - Smart Growth Matrix

To streamline the review process, give a clear sense of development expectations, and provide a financial incentive for Smart Growth, the City of Austin (Texas...

Downtown Container Park, Las Vegas - Experiential Retail

Downtown Container Park is a community-focused, experience-based retail development as part of a $350 million investment to revitalize...