[sustran] ITDP India releases manual on 'Better Streets, Better Cities'

[Pooja Sanghani]

Hi group,
I'm pleased to share ITDP India's latest publication *'**Better Streets,
Better Cities'*, a guide to designing streets in urban India. The guide is
available for download at *www.itdp.org/betterstreets*. Comments and
suggestions can be submitted to india at itdp.org. Please feel free to share.
More about the guide below.

Current street design practice in India is often based on a vision of
high-speed motorized mobility that does not take into account the variety
and types of activities that actually take place in Indian streets. While
streets are often designed from the centerline outward, Better Streets,
Better Cities urges planners to explore an alternate approach that
prioritizes the needs of pedestrians and cyclists.

The guide begins with a discussion of sixteen street elements, such as
footpaths, cycle tracks, medians, and spaces for street vending, covering
the importance of each element as well as implementation challenges and
design criteria. While existing NMT infrastructure in Indian cities is
implemented with good intent, design shortcomings resulting from a failure
to account for the practical needs of pedestrians and cyclists often mean
that these facilities remain unused. The guide indicates how these pitfalls
can be avoided.

Next is a library of design templates for various rights-of-way, followed
by sample intersections. The final section describes the process of street
design—from data collection, surveys, and analysis to the preparation of
final plans—using a real-world example of an urban intersection to explain
methodological issues.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/itdpindia
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/itdpindia
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/itdpindia

Thanks,
-- 
Pooja Sanghani (Ms.) | Program Officer, Our Cities Ourselves
Institute for Transportation & Development Policy
301, Paritosh, near Darpana Academy, Usmanpura, Ahmedabad, India
Office +91 79 40069227 | Mobile +91 9879897959 | www.itdp.org

*Promoting sustainable and equitable transportation worldwide*