As NYC’s Transportation Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan managed the seemingly impossible and transformed the streets of one of the world’s greatest, toughest cities into dynamic spaces safe for pedestrians and bikers. Her approach is dramatic and effective-
Rewrite the rulebook – don’t follow an outdated manual for urban design, think of new ways of using existing space
Get out there fast – think \”pilot programs\” to test beach chairs in Times Square, or Citibike before it took off
Track success with data and statistics – good recordkeeping proves a dramatic decrease in fatalities on city streets
Involve local artists – David Byrne designed bike racks for specific NYC neighborhoods
Achieving a radical overhaul isn’t easy, and Streetfight pulls back the curtain on the battles Sadik-Khan won to make her approach work in the toughest city in the world. She includes, too, examples of how this her new way to design streets has already made its way around the world, from pocket parks in Mexico City and Los Angeles, to more pedestrian-friendly streets in Auckland and Buenos Aires, and innovative bike lane designs and plazas in Austin, Indianapolis and San Francisco.
Like a modern-day Jane Jacobs, Janette Sadik-Khan transformed New York City’s streets to make room for pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and green spaces. Describing the battles she fought to enact change, Streetfight imparts wisdom and practical advice that other cities can follow to make their own streets safer and more vibrant.
As New York City’s transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan managed the seemingly impossible and transformed the streets of one of the world’s greatest, toughest cities into dynamic spaces safe for pedestrians and cyclists. Her approach was dramatic and effective- Simply painting a part of the street to make it into a plaza or bus lane not only made the street safer, but it also lessened congestion and increased foot traffic, which improved the bottom line of businesses. Real-life experience confirmed that if you know how to read the street, you can make it function better by not totally reconstructing it but by reallocating the space that’s already there.
Breaking the street into its component parts, Streetfight demonstrates, with step-by-step visuals, how to rewrite the underlying \”source code\” of a street, with pointers on how to add protected bike paths, improve crosswalk space, and provide visual cues to reduce speeding. Achieving such a radical overhaul wasn’t easy, and Streetfight pulls back the curtain on the battles Sadik-Khan won to make her approach work. She includes examples of how this new way to read the streets has already made its way around the world, from pocket parks in Mexico City and Los Angeles to more pedestrian-friendly streets in Auckland and Buenos Aires, and innovative bike-lane designs and plazas in Austin, Indianapolis, and San Francisco. Many are inspired by the changes taking place in New York City and are based on the same techniques. Streetfight deconstructs, reassembles, and reinvents the street, inviting readers to see it in ways they never imagined.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 368
Imprint: Penguin Books US
Publication date: 07/03/2017
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