Paving the Way: How We Achieve Clean, Safe and Attractive Streets: A Research Project

Streets are multi-functional spaces, vital public areas as well as transport routes. Getting the balance right is crucial and fundamental to how we make our towns and cities more livable. Paving the way is more than a design manual - instead it examines the decision-making processes that create our current streetscapes. It endeavors to get behind the finished product to understand how and why it was created, how it is cared for, and by doing so, identify the impediments to the creation of good streetscape. The book is based on detailed evidence taken from twelve case studies, covering the full spectrum of current practice in street design. The appraisals include details of design and management. Paving the way presents recommendations on the following: Highway design guidance - a review of official regulations and guidance to bring them in line with the Government's policy framework on transport and the public realm Management of the process - suggestions for streamlining the relevant authorities, resulting in a clear design and management ethos for looking after streets Design detail and training -increasing emphasis on the street as a subject in education and local policy-making Control of utilities - ways to hold utility companies accountable for maintaining the quality of streets Long-term care - increased public involvement in the management and care of streets Sharing the street - how we can improve people's behaviour towards each other as users of the street Although the right policies for our streets exist, the trouble lies with implementing them. Paving the way is essential reading, proposing solutions which will bring huge benefits with relatively little upheaval in a short period of time.Great Britain, Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment is the author of 'Paving the Way: How We Achieve Clean, Safe and Attractive Streets: A Research Project', published 2002 under ISBN 9780727731401 and ISBN 0727731408.