Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Building Your Own Philly Street But Were Afraid To Ask
Not pictured: One old lady, smoking a cigarette, hanging 1/3rd out the screen door, monitoring all.
Attn. Urban Planning nerds: When Mayor Nutter decreed, back in 2009, that each and every Philadelphia street should be viable to “all users of the transportation system, be they pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit users, or motor vehicle drivers,” you could almost hear the grand chorus of asphalt heave a collective “Ruh-roh.” And for sure, there is a long way to go until that decree is met. But The Philadelphia Complete Streets Design Handbook provides a start at least. The newly released book, available as a free download, serves as a guide for what Philly streets should have as basics for safety and convenience. It also:
- provides project review checklists to ensure these designs and practices are applied to new, reconstructed or redesigned City streets;
- catalogues existing local policies and design standards related to design of streets, sidewalks, intersections, and other elements in the public right-of-way; and
- recommends policies and practices for issues not currently addressed.
So don’t fret when making your own streets any more, Mr. Blatstein Philadelphians; you don’t have to do it all willy-nilly anymore and just hope that things work out. With just a little advice and stick-to-it-iveness, you, too, can build the perfect Philadelphia street. (Subtly boiling class warfare sold separately.)
