'Link' and 'Place': A New Approach to Street Planning and Design

The paper describes the development and application of a new approach to planning and designing urban streets, based on their 'Link' and 'Place' functions, which include transport performance, economy and environmental indicators. As a Link, a street is designed for users to pass through it as quickly and conveniently as possible, in order to minimise travel time; while as a Place, the street is a destination in its own right, where people are encouraged to spend time. Both functions have their own sets of design requirements. This approach has led to the development of new ways of: Classifying all urban streets, using a two dimensional Link/Place matrix. Measuring street performance and identifying aspects that are underperforming. Prioritising areas for improvement. Comprehensively assessing design area requirements. Developing design options. Appraising design options. The approach has been applied in several English cities, in a wide range of applications, from assessing the performance of London's strategic road network, engaging stakeholders in the redesign of busy shopping streets, to specifying maintenance requirements in an area-wide Private Finance Initiative highway contract.