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Functional Classifications

A graph showing the trade off of increasing access and increase mobility. For example local streets have high access, but low mobility and freeways have high mobility and low access.
Access vs. Mobility

Build in flexibility. Use engineering design discretion to design streets in context with surrounding land uses. Look at the full range of values provided in design manuals, rather than default to the...

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Visual Buffers and Landscaping

An illustration of a parking lot with callouts for visual buffer (trees/bushes) and a parking island.
Parking with Trees for Shade

A photo of a parking lot with a parking island with trees.
Parking with Trees for Shade

A photo of tall shrubs between a sidewalk and a parking lot.
Visual Buffer (Source: Flickr - Sergio Ruiz)

Minimize use of tall shrubs in favor of lower shrubs and groundcovers to allow for greater visibility within a parking area for pedestrian and vehicular safety. Clear lines of sight minimize...

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Parking Structure Design

A photo of a brick parking garage that blends blends in with adjacent development.
Parking Structure, Boulder, CO (Source: Flickr - Brett VA)
    A photo of a parking garage next to a five story residential development. The parking garage has art and complements the color of the residential development.
    LA Plaza Village Structured Parking, Los Angeles, CA (Source: Watry Design Inc. - Heather Collins)

    Conform parking structure height and façades to match the surrounding built environment and adjacent uses. Parking structures should complement the scale and character of the neighborhood.

    • Consider...
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    Mobility

    A graphic showing a transit stop near bike share, bike lanes, and car share.
    Multi-Modal Streets

    Provide secure and convenient cycling and micro-mobility amenities including, but not limited to, bike racks, bike lockers, and bike and scooter share to encourage multi-modal transportation.

    • Locat...
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    Street Design - Home Page

    Photo of an intersection taken from above with a bus, several bicyclists, and cars traveling through

    Every street is a transportation link for every mode; differences are based on the balance of how each mode is prioritized. Street design should complement surrounding land uses and support walking...

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    Parking Management - Home Page

    Photo of people sitting in a parklet with string lights above, fake grass, a bench, a dog, and a person biking by with a child

    The efficient use of parking facilities can provide numerous benefits related to site design, trip generation, development cost, and building design and function. When implemented effectively, parking...

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    Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

    A photo of a row of townhouses with a sidewalk, street trees, and parallel parking
    Clear Boundary Between Public & Private - Laurel Grove, San José, CA (Source: Flickr - Sergio Ruiz)
    A photo of a plaza in front of a high-rise building with large ground lights on the sidewalk and an emergency call button box.
    Salesforce Plaza, San Francisco, CA (Source: Flickr - Sergio Ruiz)

    Natural surveillance is key to neighborhood safety. Neighborhoods with higher walkability indices and/or businesses open longer hours are associated with lower crime. Ensure open sightlines to and...

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    Safety and Pedestrian Circulation

    An aerial photo of an surface level parking with an underground parking garage at Apple Park.
    Off Street Parking Design, Apple Park Visitor Center (Source: Flickr - Jim Maurer)

      A photo of close street lights on the sidewalk.
      Street Lamp Illuminating the Ground Below

      Illuminate parking facilities at recommended minimum average illumination levels used by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).

      • Point lights downward to minimize light pollution and excess...
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      Quick Build Projects

      • Develop an outreach plan and expect lots of comments. Quick-build projects are public beta tests. They allow local agencies to get input on a design and modify it before it becomes permanent. Because...
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      Case Studies (Street Design)

      Photo of skateboarder in front of street party in front of apartment building
      A person travels on a skateboard on Octavia Boulevard’s shared local access road past a public meeting space created with the street redesign. (Source: Sergio Ruiz)
      Photo of a common space covered in grass and walkways surrounded by taller buildings at night
      Hayes Green at night. This park is located in a wide median created when Octavia Boulevard was built to replace a portion of elevated freeway (Source: Sergio Ruiz)

      Barcelona, Spain - Superblocks

      In 2016, the Poblenou neighborhood in Barcelona, Spain created a people-centered, pedestrian-friendly, nine-block “superblock” within an otherwise auto-oriented...

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      Open Space Structure

      A graphic of a neighborhood with a clear corridor and connection of two parks/open spaces.
      Open Spaces and Multimodal Corridors

      A photo of an urban plaza under an elevated roadway.
      Park Space Under Elevated Roadway (Source: IBI Group)

      Pursue the use of excess land adjacent to transit and roadway rights-of-way, and under elevated structures where available. Unused space beneath elevated transit lines and roadways can be...

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