Streetfight

1. Streets Have an Obsolete, Car-First Code

Streets for the last century have been designed to keep traffic moving but not to support the life alongside it.

Legacy design flaws. For decades, urban streets have been programmed with an underlying operating code focused almost exclusively on maximizing vehicle traffic. This dogma, influenced by early 20th-century planning and engineering manuals, grafted motor vehicles onto cities built for walking, creating corridors that prioritize cars over people. The result is chronic congestion, danger, and streets that discourage walking and vibrant public life.

Ignoring human needs. This car-centric approach views pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users as obstacles rather than integral parts of the urban fabric. Design manuals often omit representations of people, focusing solely on vehicle flow and dimensions. This leads to:

• Wide lanes that encourage speeding
• Intersections designed for fast turns, not safe crossings
• Sidewalks treated as afterthoughts, not vital public space

A broken status quo. The assumption that streets are primarily for cars has become an immutable feature of cities everywhere. This outdated thinking persists despite mounting evidence that it harms urban economies, stifles social interaction, and contributes to millions of traffic deaths globally. Changing this status quo requires challenging deeply ingrained beliefs about street function.

2. Density Demands Streets Designed for People

Living in cities isn’t a random demographic result. It’s a choice.

Cities are growing. Urban populations are increasing rapidly worldwide, with millions more people expected to live in cities in the coming decades. Accommodating this growth efficiently is crucial for sustainability and quality of life. Concentrating people in dense urban areas is inherently more environmentally friendly than suburban sprawl.

Leveraging compactness. Cities offer inherent advantages like geographic compactness, population density, and existing public transportation networks. These factors contribute to lower per capita energy use and carbon footprints compared to car-dependent suburbs. However, cities must actively leverage these strengths by making urban life more attractive and functional.

Beyond just buildings. Successful urban density requires more than just stacking tall buildings. It demands public spaces that support life, mobility, and interaction. Streets must be designed to accommodate diverse modes of transport and provide inviting spaces for people, ensuring that growth enhances, rather than exhausts, urban assets.

3. Read the Street: Space Is Hidden in Plain Sight

By reading the street accurately you can reallocate the space already there—no expensive reconstruction required.

Invisible design. The underlying design of city streets is often invisible to daily users, yet it dictates how the space functions. Decades of engineering decisions, like using highway-width lanes (12 feet) for city streets, have created excess road space that is not actually needed to move or park vehicles efficiently.

Reclaiming wasted space. This overbuilt design means millions of miles of potential sidewalks, bike lanes, bus lanes, and public spaces are trapped within existing streets. By simply narrowing lanes or reorganizing their function, cities can reclaim this space without costly reconstruction. Examples include:

• Narrowing 12-foot lanes to 10 feet
• Reorganizing parking lanes away from the curb
• Using paint and simple barriers to redefine space

Design cues matter. The way a street is designed influences driver behavior more than signs or speed limits. Narrower lanes and clear markings cue drivers to slow down and exercise caution, paradoxically making streets safer despite less physical buffer space. Reading the street reveals opportunities to improve safety and function through simple design changes.

4. Transform Streets Quickly and Cheaply

Transforming a car-clogged street into inviting shared space doesn’t always require heavy machinery, complicated reconstruction, or millions of dollars.

Tactical urbanism. Rapid, low-cost interventions using readily available materials can quickly reallocate street space and demonstrate the potential for change. Simple tools like paint, planters, movable barriers, and even beach chairs can transform underused or dangerous areas into vibrant public spaces. This approach allows cities to experiment and build support for larger transformations.

Mud balls that stick. Trying out changes quickly, like converting a triangular traffic island into a pocket plaza with paint and seating, allows the public to experience the benefits firsthand. These "mud balls" show what works and build momentum. Successful small projects become instruments for public understanding and support for expanding the approach.

Fast implementation builds support. Moving in real time with quick projects is often more effective than lengthy planning processes aimed at achieving consensus before any change occurs. Once a space is transformed and its benefits are visible, the new configuration often becomes obvious and widely accepted, overcoming initial resistance.

5. Bike Lanes & Bike Share: Essential, Controversial Change

The fault is not in our cyclists, but in our streets.

Bikes are controversial. Few transportation issues elicit more passion than bikes and bike lanes. Cyclists are often blamed for conflicts on the street, but the real problem lies in streets designed without them in mind. Streets built only for cars force bikes into dangerous situations.

Building demand and safety. Investing in bike infrastructure, particularly protected bike lanes separated from vehicle traffic, makes cycling safer and encourages more people to ride. Increased ridership creates "safety in numbers," as drivers become more accustomed to sharing the road. This benefits pedestrians too, by reducing sidewalk riding and calming traffic.

Bike share transforms mobility. Bike-share systems provide a ubiquitous, low-cost transportation option for short trips, extending the reach of public transit and offering an alternative to cars or taxis. Despite initial glitches and opposition, systems like New York's Citi Bike have proven immensely popular, demonstrating a strong demand for convenient, flexible urban mobility options.

6. Bus Rapid Transit: The Surface Subway Solution

Bus rapid transit (known as BRT) has exploded in popularity since the 1970s when, in Curitiba, Brazil, Mayor Jaime Lerner created a network of buses that ran in dedicated lanes with passengers who paid their fares at train-like platforms.

Overlooked potential. Buses are often seen as an unglamorous, slow mode of transport, but Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems offer a fast, reliable, and cost-effective alternative to rail. By operating in dedicated lanes, using off-board fare payment, and minimizing stops, BRT can achieve speeds and reliability comparable to subways.

Global success story. Pioneered in cities like Curitiba and Bogotá, BRT systems now serve millions of passengers daily worldwide, primarily in Latin America and Asia. They demonstrate that high-capacity, efficient public transport can be built quickly and affordably using existing road networks, avoiding the massive construction costs of rail.

Transforming urban mobility. Implementing BRT requires reallocating street space for dedicated bus lanes and integrating technology like transit signal priority. Despite initial resistance to changes like removing parking or traffic lanes, BRT projects in cities like New York have significantly improved travel times, increased ridership, and enhanced mobility for underserved neighborhoods, proving that buses can be a vital, high-performance part of the urban transportation network.

7. Safety First: Design Streets to Save Lives

The first priority of every city should be the physical and psychological safety of people on the street.

Traffic violence is a crisis. Traffic crashes kill tens of thousands of people annually in the United States, a death toll comparable to major public health crises or wars, yet it rarely generates sustained outrage. These are not mere "accidents" but preventable deaths often caused by speeding, drunk driving, or inattention.

Design for safety. Relying solely on signs, signals, or enforcement is insufficient to prevent traffic deaths. Streets must be designed to physically slow drivers down and protect vulnerable users. Strategies include:

• Narrowing lanes
• Adding pedestrian islands to shorten crossing distances
• Implementing lower speed limits (e.g., 20 mph slow zones)
• Using design cues to make pedestrians and cyclists more visible

Data drives safety. Analyzing crash data, particularly those resulting in death or serious injury, reveals patterns and high-risk corridors. This allows cities to prioritize safety investments where they are most needed, rather than focusing on perceived dangers or anecdotal complaints. Safety improvements benefit all street users, including drivers.

8. Data Proves People-Focused Streets Work

In God we trust. Everyone else, bring data.

Beyond anecdote. Public debates about street changes are often driven by emotional assumptions and misleading anecdotes, particularly claims that projects like bike lanes or plazas harm local businesses. Data provides an objective basis for evaluating the actual impact of these changes.

Measuring economic impact. By analyzing retail sales data and commercial vacancy rates on streets where changes were made, cities can demonstrate the economic benefits of people-focused design. Studies show that businesses on streets with improved pedestrian, bike, and transit access often outperform those on car-centric streets.

• Pedestrians and cyclists shop more frequently than drivers.
• Reclaiming parking for public space or bike racks can increase overall customer traffic.

Traffic and safety metrics. Data on traffic speeds, volumes, crash rates, and injury severity are crucial for proving that redesigns improve mobility and safety for all users. Using tools like GPS data from taxis provides a real-time, unbiased view of traffic flow. Data helps shift the conversation from fear and opinion to measurable outcomes.

9. Steal Good Ideas from Other Cities

The public domain is in the public domain.

Global inspiration. Cities around the world are laboratories for urban innovation. The best ideas for transforming streets are often inspired, borrowed, or adapted from other cities that have successfully tackled similar challenges. There is no need to reinvent the wheel when proven solutions exist elsewhere.

Adapting solutions. Ideas like Copenhagen's protected bike lanes, Bogotá's BRT system, or Paris's bike share can be adapted to fit the unique geographic, social, and political realities of different cities. Medellín's use of gondolas and escalators as public transit demonstrates creative adaptation to challenging terrain.

Sharing knowledge. Networks like NACTO facilitate the sharing of best practices and design guides, giving cities the "permission slip" and technical know-how to implement innovative street treatments. This collaborative approach accelerates the pace of transformation globally.

10. The Fight Against the Status Quo Is Inevitable

When you push the status quo, it pushes back, hard.

Resistance to change. Any attempt to alter the established order of city streets, particularly by reallocating space away from cars, will inevitably face opposition. This resistance comes from deeply ingrained habits, fear of the unknown, and vested interests tied to the car-centric status quo.

Political battles. Implementing transformative projects often involves navigating intense political battles, media backlashes, and even legal challenges. Opponents may use misleading arguments, question data, or resort to personal attacks to derail progress.

Persistence is key. Overcoming this pushback requires resolve, courage, and grit. Leaders must be willing to withstand criticism and continue implementing projects based on data and a clear vision for a better city. The fight itself is part of the job, and inaction is inexcusable.

11. Infrastructure Basics Are Vital, But Unseen

Our road infrastructure is like an invisible thread that goes unnoticed until it fails.

Beyond the headlines. While visible projects like plazas and bike lanes capture public attention, the fundamental work of maintaining and rebuilding roads, bridges, sidewalks, and traffic signals is the backbone of urban transportation. This essential infrastructure is often taken for granted until it deteriorates or fails.

Underinvestment crisis. Decades of underinvestment in infrastructure have created a nationwide crisis, leading to crumbling roads, aging bridges, and unreliable transit systems. This neglect contributes to congestion, economic costs, and safety risks.

Mastering the basics. Effective transportation departments must excel at both innovative street design and the fundamental tasks of infrastructure maintenance. Investing in sustainable materials, modern technology (like LED lights and traffic sensors), and efficient operations is crucial for the long-term health and functionality of the city.

12. The Fight Continues: Vigilance Is Key

What is a city, if not its people and its streets?

Hard-won gains. Transforming city streets from car-dominated corridors to vibrant, people-focused public spaces is a continuous process, not a one-time victory. Hard-won gains must be defended against attempts to revert to the old status quo.

New challenges. The future of urban mobility brings new technologies like ride-sharing apps and autonomous vehicles. While these offer potential benefits, they also pose risks if not integrated into a comprehensive urban plan that prioritizes sustainability, equity, and reduced vehicle footprint. Cities must proactively shape the regulatory framework for these new modes.

Eternal vigilance. The fight for better streets requires constant vigilance from citizens, advocates, and leaders. Public expectations for streets have been raised, but the arguments against change persist. Using data, sharing successes, and empowering communities are essential for ensuring that cities continue to evolve to serve their people.

Last updated: May 4, 2025