‘Innovating Streets’ is an umbrella term for any project that seeks to use quick, lower-cost and temporary techniques to deliver positive people-centred changes to streets.
This can include tactical urbanism, ‘trying through doing’ for consultation, fast changes to streets, and activations to help people think of their streets differently.
As such, Innovating Streets projects seek to deliver:
Innovating Streets projects are non-permanent, and might follow a phased testing approach such as:
While permanent solutions are vital to identify and aim for, their delivery and project steps are not part of Innovating Streets projects. Similarly, large-scale pilots and those in higher-risk road environments are excluded.
Street layout ideas to provide a safer space for cyclists and pedestrians were tested by Auckland Transport on Federal Street. Valuable feedback was gathered during the trial and learnings informed permanent upgrades. Credit: Auckland Transport(external link)
Using a temporary or interim technique rather than a standard process allows project teams to:
Before starting on your project, you need to be clear if a temporary approach is appropriate for your project given its environment. Many Innovating Streets projects are directly aimed at safety improvements, but no matter what the objective, safety needs to be front of mind at every stage of the project.
Waka Kotahi’s Innovating Streets programme is for lower risk streets, where there are already, or you are trying to achieve, slower traffic speeds and lower volumes of traffic.
Most suitable for Innovating Streets projects | Less suitable for Innovating Streets projects |
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For example:
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A key component of planning your design should be influenced by where it is safest and easiest to make changes within the boundaries of the Traffic Control Devices Rule.
Delineators, and restricting general traffic movements, is the key to unlocking the use of colour and creative designs in your Innovating Streets project. In areas of the roads protected by significant delineation devices, risk is being managed and traffic access limited (if not prevented), and there is greater scope for innovation using things like coloured and textured surfacing types. Similarly, the footpath or shared path environment is subject to lower operating speeds and reduced level of traffic, and therefore has greater potential for innovation under the Rule.
Colours or markings that do not conform to the Rule are not advisable in traffic lanes, or in streets with higher-risk or speed environments.
Swan garden parklet installed by Gap Filler for PARK(ing) Day 2015 in Christchurch reclaimed a space, normally occupied by vehicles, for pedestrians. Credit: Gap Filler.
Some of the most common Innovating Streets projects include:
View a range of case studies containing examples of the methods above.
Regardless of its size or duration, experience from recent projects delivered across the country shows that a successful Innovating Streets project needs seven key areas covered. The following sub-sections individually address these ingredients for success: