Urban Design Checklist

CHECKLIST URBAN DESIGN
2.1
LAND USE MIX

When Planning for urban scale developments, provide for a mix of uses - for example, residences, offices,
schools, retail stores, cultural and community spaces, and recreational facilities.
Locate places of residence and work near destinations such as parks, walking paths, trails and waterfront
recreation areas.
Develop supermarkets and full service grocery stores near places of work and residence.
2.2
TRANSIT AND PARKING

Locate buildings and building entrances near public transit stops and along transit corridors.
Place public transit stops along well-connected streets.
Provide signage at buildings, transit stops, and major intersections showing a map and the distance, time,
route and calories burned to the nearest or next transit stop.
Encourage transit use by furnishing transit stops with pedestrian conveniences.
Make sidewalks wide enough to comfortably accommodate pedestrians, including those with disabilities
Provide additional space for passengers to wait by adding bus bulbs.
Create bus stop shelters that protect the users from sun, wind, and rain
Furnish bus stop shelters with seating or places to lean.
When designing sites that include parking, consider how the provision of parking can affect the use of more
active modes of travel such as walking, bicycling, and public transit.
Provide parking for people with disabilities
2.3
PARKS, OPEN SPACES, AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

Design open spaces as part of large -scale developments, or locate buildings near open, public spaces.
Make bicycle and pedestrian routes to parks and public spaces safe and visible.
When planning a new development. Aggregate open space in one large area rather than dispersing into
smaller pieces. Where possible, provide residents with access to open space within a ten-minute walk.
In the design of parks or open spaces, provide paths, running tracks, playgrounds, sport courts, and drinking
fountains.
Locate new projects near existing public and private recreational facilities and encourage development of new
facilities, including indoor activity spaces.
When designing offices and commercial spaces, provide exercise facilities or walking paths nearby.
Design parks, open spaces, and recreational facilities to complement the cultural preferences of the local
population, and to accommodate a range of age groups.
Create partnerships with organizations to sponsor and maintain green spaces and gardens.
2.4
CHILDREN'S PLAY AREAS

Design courtyards, gardens, terraces, and roofs that can serve as outdoor spaces for children's play
When designing playgrounds, include ground markings indicating dedicated areas for sports and multiple use.
Preserve or create natural terrain in children's outdoor areas.
Provide lights on sidewalks and active play areas to extend opportunities for physical activity into the evening.
In the design of parks and playgrounds, create a variety of climate environments to facilitate activity in different
seasons and weather conditions.
Provide physical activity facilities for children and youth in schools

Design new school physical activity facilities to potentially allow for public use outside of school hours.
2.5
PUBLIC PLAZAS
Create attractive plaza spaces that are well-maintained.
Locate public plazas along popular pedestrian streets.
Locate plazas near transit stops.
Make plazas accessible to bicyclists.
Create plazas that are level with the sidewalk.
Design plazas that allow for diverse functions
Design plazas to accommodate use in a variety of weather conditions.
Seek partnerships with community groups to maintain and program plazas.
2.6
GROCERY STORES AND FRESH PRODUCE ACCESS

Develop full-service grocery stores within walking distance in all residential neighborhoods.
Introduce farmer's markets as a complement to grocery stores.
Provide safe walking and bicycle paths between densely populated areas and grocery stores and farmer's
market sites.
Design
grocery store layouts and parking to accommodate pedestrian, cyclist, automobiles, and loading trucks
safely and conveniently. Provide infrastructure such as bicycle parking a drinking fountains.
2.7
STREET CONNECTIVITY
In large-scale developments. Design well-connected streets with sidewalks and keep block sizes relatively
small.
Where current connectivity of sidewalks and streets on a building site is poor, provide pedestrian paths through
existing blocks.
Avoid creating pedestrian over- and underpasses that force walkers to change levels.
Maintain dedicated pedestrian and bicycle paths on dead-end streets to provide access even where cars
cannot pass.
Minimize addition of mid-block vehicular curb cuts on streets with heavy foot traffic.
Design vehicular driveways and ramps to minimize contact between cars and pedestrians.
2.8
TRAFFIC CALMING
Design roads to be minimum width and to have the minimum number of lanes practical.
Incorporate traffic calming street additions such as curb extensions, medians, and raised speed reducers.
Consider other physical design measures where appropriate, for example:
Horizontal deflections such as curved roadway alignments 'Vertical deflections such as raised intersections
or crossings
Traffic diverters, roundabouts, and mini-traffic circles
Signal phasing plan with a protected left-turning lag phase
"Yield to Pedestrian" signs
Avoidance of slip lanes and wide curb radii
2.9
DESIGNING PEDESTRIAN PATHWAYS

Create a buffer to separate pedestrians from moving vehicles using street furniture, trees, and other sidewalk
infrastructure.
Provide seating, drinking fountains, restrooms, and other infrastructure that support increased frequency and
duration of walking.
Provide exterior lighting along streets and outdoors paths.
Include trees and objects of visual interest on streets and sidewalks.
Make sidewalk widths consistent with their use.
Provide for enhanced pedestrian crossings both at mid-block and at intersections.
Construct curb extensions along sections of the sidewalk that tend to attract greater pedestrian congestion.
Create or orient paths and sidewalks toward interesting views.
Provide marked, measured walking paths on sites as part of a way finding system targeted to pedestrians and
bicyclists.
Make
streets and paths universally accessible. Create:
Paths that are smooth, sufficiently wide, and that have curb cuts and turning radii adequate for a wheelchair
or walker.
Paths with auditory crossing signals, adequate crossing time, clear signage , visible access ramps, and
connections to walking, cycling and public transit routes.
2.10
PROGRAMMING STREETSCAPES
Incorporate temporary and permanent public art installations into the streetscape.
Organize pedestrian-oriented programs, such as charity walks and vehicular street closures, that make wide
avenues available for walking and bicycling.
Increase the number of outdoor cafes to enhance street activity.
2.11
BICYCLE NETWORKS AND CONNECTIVITY

Design interconnected bikeways and establish a backbone network of unbroken through routes.
Make links between bicycling and transit.
On bikeways, include signposts providing bicyclists with directions, distances, and times to various
destinations.
2.12
BIKEWAYS
Use on-street markings or signage to visually reinforce the separation of areas for bicyclists and motorists.
Where conditions warrant, separate bikeways and vehicular traffic lanes with physical demarcations.
Expand existing bikeways where use has exceeded capacity
Pay special attention to the treatment of bikeways at intersections and other points where the street form
changes, in order to mitigate potential visibility issues and turning conflicts.
Avoid potential conflicts between cyclists and opening car doors - for example, by widening parking lanes
where appropriate.
Further develop Greenways - alternate routes that are integrated into the regional park system.
Consider shared-use paths in areas with viewing attractions.
2.13
BICYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE
Provide adequate facilities for bicyclists to park along their route or at a final destination.
Designate bicycle-specific crossings and signals to organize the movements of pedestrians, cyclists, and
motorists at busy intersections.
Construct bicycle share programs to increase access to bicycles for both city residents and visitors.

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CHECKLIST URBAN DESIGN

LAND USE MIX

TRANSIT AND PARKING

PARKS, OPEN SPACES, AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES

CHILDREN'S PLAY AREAS

Provide physical activity facilities for children and youth in schools

GROCERY STORES AND FRESH PRODUCE ACCESS

DESIGNING PEDESTRIAN PATHWAYS

BICYCLE NETWORKS AND CONNECTIVITY

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