Reimagining Streets
“We have been building transportation through communities, not communities through transportation.”
—Dan Burden
Streets are our most fundamental public spaces. They often represent the largest area of public space in a community and provide the overarching framework by which our cities physically expand and develop over time. For streets to become better places, we must design, manage, and program them as places for people first.
Introduced by Project for Public Spaces, the concept of Streets as Places challenges everyone to see streets in their entirety—not just their function in transporting people and goods, but the vital role they play in energizing social and economic life in communities. Streets as Places positions communities as the owners of their streets, with a right and a responsibility to directly impact how their public spaces look, function, and feel.
As Main Street leaders, you can think of Streets as Places as both an organizing concept for why we should prioritize streets in planning, and as a strategy for reimagining neighborhoods. By thinking about the entire history, system, and quality of place that your streets have and contribute to, you can work with your community to find creative solutions for animating social, economic, and civic life.