Tulsa Comprehensive Plan - PLANiTULSA

Appendix
TrAnsporTATIon III: SUSTAINABle NeTWOrK INITIATIve
Connectivity Criteria
To ensure that local travel places fewer demands on
arterials and is easier to do by foot and bike, Tulsa
should adopt a set of connectivity standards for new
neighborhoods and subdivisions. The following is a
sample set of criteria for these standards.
general Criteria
A proposed development or subdivision should
provide multiple direct connections in its local
street system to and between local destinations, such
as parks, schools, and shopping, without requiring
the use of arterial streets. New development or
subdivisions should incorporate and continue all
collector and local streets stubbed or planned at its
boundary. Dead-end streets that are not cul-de-sacs
should not be permitted except in cases where such
streets are designed to connect with future streets on
abutting land. Gated street entries on public streets
into residential neighborhoods or developments
should not be allowed.
Street Connectivity Standards
New developments and subdivisions should be
designed with streets with eight to ten intersections
per mile. Most intersections are street-to-street, but
other types of junctions should also count toward
meeting the connectivity standard:
• Pedestrian or bicycle trail access points
• Alley access points (ungated)
• Sharp curves with 15 mpg design speeds or less
• Cul-de-sacs no more than 250 feet in length
• Cul-de-sacs up to 500 feet in length, if they
include a pedestrian connection to another street
or trail
Connectivity standards are not intended to force new
development to take place only on a grid-type layout.
Many of Tulsa’s early neighborhoods were built with
with curvilinear streets that are a pleasure to travel on
but still provide good connections. By using a set of
flexible standards, like those above, developers will still
have a great deal of flexibility in how they design their
projects.
GooD ConneCTIvITy In TULsA
A one-mile segment of East 38th Street, between South
Peoria and Lewis Avenues, has eleven connections. The
streets surrounding it are not on a uniform grid, but they
permit travel through the neighborhood.
s peoria Ave
E 38th St
s Lewis Ave
AP
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JULy 2010
TULsA CompreHensIve pLAn – APPeNDIx