Civilised streets

The Civilised streets report presents a future where our streets work for all and are no longer dominated by cars.  

Background

A fundamental shift is under way in the way that streets are thought about and designed. For the last 60 years, most streets have been designed with the needs of drivers and motor traffic put first. The needs of pedestrians, cyclists, wheelchair users, or people pushing prams, sitting down or playing, have been given relatively little consideration.

How it's changing

All over the world policymakers recognise that this traffic-centred conception of streets has led to the creation of dysfunctional places. The social and economic value of the pre-20th century role of streets, as places of community interaction, shared by all members of society – as well as conduits for traffic – is being rediscovered. New ways of designing streets are being tried out; new terms such as ‘shared space’ are becoming popular.