VIEWPOINT: Accelerating reform to govern streets in support of human-scaled accessibility

Abstract

A longstanding mantra is that city governments lack capacities for agile, nimble change; such lack of capacity is starkly realized in how streets are governed. Exhaustive layers of codes, regulations and guidelines support a single objective: moving automobiles. The networks of streets themselves, together with the legislative and institutional networks that guide their character, are in dire need of being modernized. This viewpoint recounts a current perspective of city street governance, formulated by antiquated legislation and procedures; it points to an automobile-dominated regime that restricts innovation. We propose and describe three principles to support innovation and accelerate transformation in how streets are managed: (1) a focus on accessibility, (2) the power of local government, and (3) reflexive learning that draws on strategic experiments with city streets.

Keywords

• Governance
• City streets
• Accessibility
• Learning
• Transition experiments
• Strategic capacity