Evaluating Complete Streets: The Value of Designing Roads For Diverse Modes, Users and Activities

Complete streets refers to roads designed to accommodate diverse modes, users and activities including walking, cycling, public transit, automobile, nearby businesses and residents. Such street design helps create more multi-modal transport systems and more livable communities. This report discusses reasons to implement complete streets and how it relates to other planning innovations. Complete streets can provide many direct and indirect benefits including improved accessibility for non-drivers, user savings and affordability, energy conservation and emission reductions, improved community livability, improved public fitness and health, and support for strategic development objectives such as urban redevelopment and reduced sprawl. Net benefits depend on the latent demand for alternative modes and more compact development, and the degree that complete street projects integrate with other planning reforms such as smart growth, New Urbanism and transportation demand management.

• Record URL:
  http://www.vtpi.org/compstr.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  Victoria Transport Policy Institute

  1250 Rudlin Street
  Victoria, British Columbia  Canada  V8V 3R7
• Authors:
  • Litman, Todd
• Publication Date: 2012-12-20

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 18p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile travel; Bicycling; City planning; Complete streets; Highway design; Mode choice; Public transit; Quality of life; Streets; Urban development; Walking
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Public Transportation; I20: Design and Planning of Transport Infrastructure;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01458001
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Dec 31 2012 5:54PM