Type: Tactical Urbanism Demonstration Project Series
Size: 11 Projects (6 Counties: Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura)
Status: Complete
Street Plans, together with Alta Planning + Design, designed and implemented seven Tactical Urbanism projects as part of the Southern California Association of Governments’ (SCAG) Go Human region-wide safety and encouragement campaign. The primary goal of the Tactical Urbanism component of the campaign was to promote region-wide walking and biking, and allow residents to temporarily experience roadways that are designed for people – not just cars. The projects were implemented in 11 cities across the SCAG region during 2016-2017. Project types ranged from open streets events to demonstration projects (such as pop-up bike lanes and temporary traffic circles or curb extensions), depending on each city’s goals.
The first of the eleven projects was completed on October 2016 in Long Beach, CA. Dubbed “Activate Uptown,” the project featured an open streets event as well as a temporary bicycle boulevard. Street Plans led design and materials procurement for the bicycle boulevard, which included art crosswalks, a traffic circle, and other features. These temporary treatments allowed event attendees to experience an enhanced walking and biking boulevard, catalyzing momentum towards permanent change in the future. The second event occurred December 2016 in Cudahy, CA. This event featured a demonstration traffic circle, temporary bikeway markings, as well as a number of pedestrian safety improvements (such as curb extensions) near a local school. The third event in Garden Grove, CA featured demonstrations of protected bike lanes, art crosswalks, and a neighborhood greenway.
On Saturday, December 3rd, 2016 Street Plans implemented the second of seven demonstration projects in Cudahy, California, which featured a temporary protected bike lane, a pop-up traffic circle, and sidewalk extensions. This project also celebrated the kick-off to the LA River Upper Segment Revitalization Plan. The street safety projects not only slowed down traffic, but also created easier access to the LA River Bike Path.
Throughout the spring and summer of 2017, Street Plans helped deliver similar Tactical Urbanism projects in additional locations including the cities of Rialto, Rancho Cucamonga, and Riverside. The project series ended in June of 2017 with an Orange County project, in partnership with OC Parks and the cities of Anaheim and Yorba Linda.
Julie Flynn talks to Chuck Marohn of the Strong Towns Podcast about Street Plans’ latest research project, Mercados: Lessons from 20 Markets Across South America. Click here to listen to the Podcast.
The Street Plans Collaborative’s latest research project investigates and draws lessons from 20 markets across South America. To view and download The Mercados Project report, click here.
Street Plans teamed up with the New York-based advoacy group Transportation Alternatives to host a presentation and forum to solicit ideas on how to improve Jay Street in Brooklyn. Click here to read StreetsBlog NYC’s coverage of the event.
In a recent article about guerrilla traffic-calming efforts, Street Plans Principal Mike Lydon describes an approach in which cities collaborate with community members who engage in Do-It-Yourself urban interventions instead of punishing them. Lydon states that cities should look at the thse actions of citizens as a civic act,…
Street Plans’ Principal Mike Lydon will lead a second course on Tatical Urbanism, titled Tatical Urbanism: How It’s Done. From unsanctioned crosswalks to city-led “Pavement-to-Plaza” programs, Mike Lydon will describe the success of short-term, temporary projects in influencing long-term physical and policy changes in cities across the United States and…
Alongside our partners at The Alliance for Biking and Walking, we’re excited to announce the 2nd National Open Streets Summit. The event will take place in Los Angeles on April 4-6th and will be co-hosted with CicLAvia, one of the nation’s premier open streets initiatives. Click here to register today!…
Click here to listen to Tony Garcia’s interview with ‘High Noon in Lake Worth’ radio show host Wes Blackman.
Thanks to generous funding from the Fund for the Environment and Urban Life, we’ve spent the last 5 months working with Streetfilms and our Open Streets Project partners,The Alliance for Biking and Walking, to document The Rise of Open Streets. Enjoy!
The Atlanta Regional Commission has selected Street Plans to use Tactical Urbanism as tool for demonstrating Lifelong Communities principles. Joining us will be our friends at Dallas-based Team Better Block and Alta Planning + Design‘s Atlanta office. The demonstration project will be developed over the next several months and implemented in…
Grand Central Park, a temporary 5-acre park located in downtown Miami will close at the end of 2014 to make way for permanent development. The Miami Herald covers the story and mentions Street Plans and the Tactical Urbanism booklets.
