"What is a street?" is the first question posed in Global Street Design Guide from the National Association of City Transportation Officials and the Global Designing Cities Initiative. A seemingly simple question, but perhaps not to a street designer. The Global Street Design Guide (Publication Date: October 13, 2016) presents the first-ever worldwide standards for designing city streets and prioritizing safety, pedestrians, transit, and sustainable mobility. Each year, 1.2 million people die in traffic crashes around the world, making street design a true matter of life and death and a key to urban livability and economic opportunity. With three-quarters of the global population expected to live in cities by 2050, it’s more important than ever to address the outdated codes and standards that guide street design around the world. The The book will inspire leaders, inform practitioners, empower communities to realize the potential in their public space networks, and help cities unlock the potential of streets as safe, accessible, and economically sustainable places.
David Hall is the Marketing and Publicity intern at Island Press.