Urban streets should be functional as both “path” and “place”, but “street as place” has been overlooked in urban design. The purpose of this thesis is to develop design guidelines for improving pedestrians’ experience on urban streets in Toronto. The study site is Gould Street in downtown Toronto. A preliminary study revealed thermal comfort, safety, social interaction and visual experience as key factors influencing pedestrians’ experience on urban streets. Design guidelines were formulated from literature review to address these key factors on Gould Street. These factors also form the framework for site inventories and analyses. The design concept, “Regenerating the river of life of the city”, is implemented by applying the guidelines to three design solutions. These alternatives were compared to identify their strengths and weaknesses related to the guidelines. Conclusions are drawn regarding the applicability of the guidelines, the limitations of the research and possibilities for future studies.

Recent trends in planning and landscape architecture are moving the two disciplines closer together, yet there persists a lack of awareness of each discipline to the other. Planning’s roots in street design and landscape architecture’s new theory of landscape urbanism, which focuses on infrastructure, provide common ground for a fruitful dialogue between the two – a dialogue that could have particular significance given the historical influence of design theory on streets and urban form. To investigate these relationships, this report considers the history of street design, landscape urbanism, the planning framework, and the implementation of street design in two cities, Colorado Springs and Austin. This report explores how planning and the new ideas of landscape urbanism in landscape architecture can mutually inform each other to address street design. / text

Conventional street design has given drivers priority over the street. This has resulted in overall declination of the public realm. This study explored the topic of shared space, defined as an approach in which the street is designed in a way that pedestrians, drivers and other street users have equal entitlement and priority throughout the entire space. The research draws upon the literature on shared space; and case studies comprised of secondary source descriptions, key-informant interviews and on-site observation. Ensuing findings suggested that vehicles were more willing to share the streetscape with pedestrians when vehicular speeds were reduced and there was integration between sidewalk and roadway. These findings led to development of a set of principles that informed recommendations for the conceptual redesign of Toronto’s Downtown Yonge Street as a shared space.

This thesis investigates and discusses the current design approaches and development trends of urban streets in China. As the methodological focus, multiple case studies and interviews are used to examine actual street design practice to identify the development policy bias of local governments. Since the 1990s, the great economic achievement in most Chinese cities has evoked significant growth in the number of automobiles, as well as the increasingly serious problems of road casualties and congestion. The traffic-engineering-based design approach which used to be widely adopted and implemented in western countries has dominated the development patterns of urban streets in modern China. The conventional paradigm exclusively focuses on the traffic function in urban streets resulting in morphological changes to the urban circulation environment and keeps on neglecting non-vehicular movement and non-traffic needs. The automobile- dominated urban circulation environment has had negative economic, social and public health impacts. Thus, a paradigm shift which calls for a more inclusive design approach for urban streets which balances functions of place and movement is urgently needed in China. To determine the challenges and opportunities for the new paradigm, this research identifies the cultural, political and technical factors for the traffic-centred design trends and the policy bias. Based on this, policy recommendations and an agenda for revolutionary change for achieving better design practice for urban streets in post-modern China are suggested.

Master of Landscape Architecture / Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Brent Chamberlain / Streets and sidewalks are important public places for a wide variety of activities, such as social interaction and physical activities. Public spaces can provide numerous benefits, such as physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and aesthetic wellbeing; in order to maximize these benefits effective planning and design is critical. However, there is a need to increase empirical data which can support good planning for these public spaces. The purpose of this research study is to better understand how different elements of streetscape design influence a person’s preferences for the design of the space. A streetscape consists of a variety of different infrastructure and natural forms, which are combined together to create a space centered on the movement of people. A survey was conducted with the aims to better understand how key design elements may influence users’ preferences with regard to safety and attractiveness. The project study site is Moro Street in Aggieville Business District in Manhattan, KS. The study and survey were developed using the psychophysical approach, which employed a quantitative methods to analyze the perceptions of Aggieville patrons. The research methods consists of four main parts: variable selection, streetscape design, public survey, and data analysis. An ANOVA was conducted that revealed statistically significant effects related to the preference for streetscape design in terms of safety and attractiveness, as well as a combined average evaluation. Evidence shows that the on street parking (Parking) and green infrastructure (Green Infrastructure) are statistically significant (p < .05), whereas seating and biking had no statistically significant effect on the evaluation of attractiveness. Also, the on street parking (Parking), green infrastructure (Green Infrastructure) and bike lane (biking)are statistically significant (p < .05), whereas seating had no statistically significant effect on the evaluation of safety. Overall, on street parking (Parking) and green infrastructure (Green Infrastructure) are statistically significant (p < .05), whereas seating and biking had no statistically significant effect on the evaluation of both safety and attractiveness. These results support previous work from environmental psychologists, and provide additional empirical evidence to support effective street design.

Technological changes have opened up new opportunities for historical research, which call for new methodologies to fully realise these opportunities. This paper presents the four-step interactive photo timeline analysis we developed to analyse large volumes of historical photographs from both a quantitative and qualitative perspective. We present the results of a case study (regarding both street design and street use in Vienna from 1860 to 1949) in which we utilised interactive photo timeline analysis. The geographical research scope was limited to the streets around the Vienna Opera: street use and street design were analysed from the perspective of the street as transportation space and as urban living space. The development of the interactive photo timeline analysis methodology and the case study analysis benefited greatly from the interdisciplinary nature of the research team.

Problem Bicycle volumes are increasing in many regions worldwide leading to higher relevance of an in-depth understanding of bicyclist safety mechanisms. Detailed studies on bicyclist safety that consider exposure and distinguish by intersection category and crash types are missing for urban signalised intersections which are of particular relevance for bicyclist safety. Method Based on a comprehensive dataset of motorist and bicyclist volumes and infrastructure characteristics for a sample of 269 signalised intersections in two German cities, we analyse in a top-down approach first bicycle crashes of all types and second bicycle crashes by type including turning, right-of-way and loss-of-control. A combination of descriptive statistics and Accident Prediction Models (APM) are applied in terms of analysis methods. Results Bicycle volumes are relevant for all types of intersections and crashes whereas the effect of motor vehicle volumes differ between these different applications. The separation of bicyclists from motor vehicles in time and space increases their safety but also leads to behavioural adaption and risk compensation. The likelihood of right-ofway crashes even increases with more separation in the signalling scheme. The main predictor for loss-of-control crashes in terms of infrastructure are tram tracks. Summary This study provides insights on relevant determinants of bicycle crashes at urban signalised intersections at several levels of detail. Exposure variables as well as the physical separation of bicyclists from motor vehicles show consistent effects on bicycle crash numbers whereas the effects of signalling differ between crash types. Practical Applications The different types of intersections and crashes follow each specific mechanisms of bicyclist safety. The separation of bicyclists and motorists in time and space are paramount at intersections with high bicycle volumes. Risk compensation such as red light running becomes more important as intersections get smaller and motor vehicle volumes decrease.

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This chapter provides an overview of existing approaches for cycle network planning in research and in practice. First, main requirements for cycle networks are described, which are safety, cohesion, directness, comfort, attractiveness and adaptability. Second, an overview of traditional and emerging data sources for cycle network planning is presented and compared with the initially formulated requirements. Third, two approaches for the multi-modal functional classification of street networks including cycling are introduced, followed by a presentation of specific guidance for developing cycle networks and related academic studies. Three approaches for cycle network design are described. (1) The development of cycle networks based on desire lines and cycle routes connecting relevant origins and destinations as suggested by most guidelines is a suitable basis for cycle network design. (2) It should be combined with data-driven demand-focused approaches in order to optimally adjust the cycle networks with user patterns and preferences. (3) Optimization concepts and network growth strategies help to prioritize investments. The main challenge that is hardly addressed in any of the identified references is the coordination of cycle network development with the other transport modes and street functions. We therefore propose an integrated multi-modal approach for cycle network design, an approach that considers all transport modes, street users, street functions and usages and is also coordinated with street design and space availability.

The widespread adoption of autonomous cars has the potential to revolutionize urban transportation, but what impact will it have on urban form? This thesis examines the hypothesis that adopting autonomous cars can transform street space into a more human-centric purpose, leading to more livable and sustainable cities. The research was conducted through a literature review, analysis of case studies, and the development of specific street designs in order to reveal possible scenarios. The literature review suggests that adopting autonomous cars can reduce the need for parking and increase the efficiency of transportation. Furthermore, the rise of shared cars is expected to revolutionize the way people move. With the advent of autonomous cars, it is possible that personal cars will become less necessary as people can rely on these constant-moving vehicles for transportation. These changes will impact our cities creating new opportunities to improve the urban space. The thesis explores these challenges and opportunities through design for the actual urban environment of Washington D.C. As the capital of the United States, the country where cars have significantly shaped its cities, it is also home to influential political and policy-makers. As a result, the city offers a good opportunity to rethink the future urban environment when this technology will be widely adopted. The findings of this thesis suggest that the adoption of autonomous cars has the potential to transform urban form reclaiming street space for people, but also requires careful planning and design to ensure that the benefits are distributed equitably and the negative impacts are minimized. The thesis concludes with four street proposals, each performing a different role in the city and the results provoke a reflection of the role of the street in our cities. / Master of Science / The widespread use of self-driving cars can transform our lives in cities. This new technology could lead to a more human-centered urban environment, where streets are designed for people rather than cars. The use of self-driving cars could also reduce the need for parking and improve the efficiency of transportation. However, this transformation requires careful planning and design to ensure that the benefits are distributed fairly and that negative impacts are minimized. A recent study looked at the potential impact of self-driving cars in Washington D.C., and suggests that the adoption of this technology could transform urban form and make cities more livable and sustainable. The study concludes with several street design proposals that could help shape the future of our cities. The findings of this thesis suggest that the adoption of autonomous cars has the potential to transform urban form reclaiming street space for people, it concludes with street proposals, each performing a different role in the city.