Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas

• Sense of place: Streets should contribute to the creation of
attractive and lively mixed-use places. In particular, if the
ground floors of buildings are interesting and varied with a
number of openings onto the street (shops, cafés, etc.), the
environment can be inviting and enriching. Streets do not just
serve a movement function, and their design should include
consideration of appropriate opportunities for resting and
enjoyment. Finally, the use of street names with a connection to
the area can reinforce a sense of place, as can preservation of
older built fabric and evocation of the past in new buildings.
Design process
3.15 The design of street layouts must start by considering people
movement rather than vehicle movement. This approach ensures
greater consideration of pedestrians, cyclists and public transport
users. In many instances, all users can comfortably share the same
street network. When designing a street layout for a new residential
area, designers should assess the need for, and specific roles of:
(a) Links to the overall road network in the district or town,
including bus services, based on an analysis of the need for
such linkages;
(b) Access to bus-based and rail-based public transport (where
relevant);
(c) Direct walking and cycling routes to local facilities such as
shops, schools, public transport, and open spaces, together with
lighting and landscaping of such routes;
(d) Access for people with disabilities;
(e) Maximum permeability for pedestrians and cyclists
(f) Circulation routes for public service (buses, waste collection)
and delivery vehicles within the area;
(g) Residential streets with limited through motor traffic;
(h) Consideration of provision for low design speeds (such as 30
kph) and facilities for pedestrians and cyclists;
(i) The location and amount of parking for cars and cycles; and
(j) The planting of appropriate street trees (bearing in mind the
location of underground services).
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Planning Guidelines