Design manual
Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets
The design of roads and streets within urban speed limits.
Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport and Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government · 2019 (version 1.1) · 165 pages
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- 29May 2019 (Version 1.1) 2.2.3 A Balanced Approach (Key Design Principles) To guide a more place-based/integrated approach to road and street design, designers must have regard to the four core principles presented below: MULTI-FUNCTIONAL STREETSCONNECTED NETWORKS Design Principle 1: To support the creation of integrated street networks which promote higher levels of permeability and legibility for all users, and in particular more sustainable forms of transport. Chapter 3 of this Manual is concerned with the creation and management of permeable and legible street networks. Design Principle 2: The promotion of multi-functional, placebased streets that balance the needs of all users within a self-regulating environment. Chapter 4 of this Manual is concerned with the creation of self-regulating streets that cater for the various place and movement functions of a street.
- Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets30 PEDESTRIAN FOCUS MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH Design Principle 3: The quality of the street is measured by the quality of the pedestrian environment. Chapter 4 of this Manual also provides design standards for the creation of a safe, comfortable and attractive pedestrian environment. Design Principle 4: Greater communication and co-operation between design professionals through the promotion of a plan-led, multidisciplinary approach to design. Chapter 5 of this Manual is concerned with the implementation of a more integrated approach to street design.
- CHAPTER 3: STREET NETWORKS Street Networks should be designed to maximise connectivity between destinations to promote higher levels of permeability and legibility for all users, in particular more sustainable forms of transport. This will allow people to move from place to place in a direct manner with greater route choice.
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- 33May 2019 (Version 1.1) 3.0 STREET NETWORKS 3.1 Integrated Street Networks Sustainable neighbourhoods are areas where an efficient use of land, high quality urban design and effective integration in the provision of physical and social infrastructure such as public transport, schools, amenities and other facilities combine to create places people want to live in. Additional features of sustainable neighbourhoods include: • Compact and energy efficient development; • Prioritising sustainable modes of transport; • Provision of a good range of amenities and services within easy and safe walking distance of homes. The implementation of the Guidelines for Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas (2009) and Smarter Travel (2009) strategy support an integrated urban structure where land uses are spatially organised around strategic connections and nodes. Strategic connections are the primary routes that connect places. Nodes form where these routes converge and intersect. Within Ireland there is a long established pattern of development evolving at nodes (such as cross roads and river crossings) as these tend to be the most connected places. It is this connectivity that allows the cities, towns and villages to grow and thrive (see Figure 3.1). The integration of land use and transportation encourage the consolidation of development along strategic connections and around nodes (including city, town and village centres). The strategic connections are also the major routes for public transport, and the nodes their primary destination or interchange hub. This maximises accessibility to services and promotes the use of more sustainable forms of transportation, thus reducing car dependency. Centres form the ‘hub’ of sustainable urban development through the formation of connected compact communities. Positioning centres away from strategic routes deprives them of life and passing trade. The answer is to create pedestrian and public transport orientated centres at the convergence of strategic links. Figure 3.1: The creation of connected centres forms the backbone of integrated land use and transportation development. Base images from the UK Urban Design Compendium (2000) and UK Urban Design Taskforce.
- Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets34 Figure 3.2 illustrates an abstract model of an integrated land use and transportation settlement structure at a metropolitan scale, with an indicative street hierarchy. This settlement pattern has universal application and can be adapted according to the scale of a settlement. It may also be adapted according to accessibility by public transport. For example, as vehicular traffic (and in particular through traffic) converges on city, town and village centres, it may be diverted around the core area, allowing more efficient service by public transport routes. This structure should be supported by a permeable and legible street network that offers route choice and flexibility for managing movement within it. These approaches are discussed in the ensuing sections with regard to the design and management of street networks. Figure 3.2: At a larger scale land use and transport integration occurs where more intensively developed areas are spatially organised around strategic links and centres/nodes. CITY CENTRE TOWN CENTRE VILLAGE CENTRE NEIGHBOURHOOD Transit Orientated Centre Traditional Centre
- 35May 2019 (Version 1.1) 3.2 Movement and Place 3.2.1 Movement Function The movement function of a street is generally described using a classification system, such as a street hierarchy. This guide refers to street hierarchy as follows (see Figure 3.3): • Arterial Streets • Link Streets • Local Streets Table 3.1 illustrates how street/road hierarchies contained within other relevant documents are cross-referenced with the above. The nature of this street hierarchy is well understood. In general, greater levels of connectivity are required between significant destinations, particularly those generating or attracting large volumes of traffic. Notes Note 1: Larger Regional/District Distributors may fall into the category of Arterial where they are the main links between major centres (i.e. towns) or have an orbital function. Note 2: Local Distributors may fall into the category of Local street where they are relatively short in length and simply link a neighbourhood to the broader street network. DMURS Description Roads Act/ DN-GEO-03031 Traffic Management Guidelines National Cycle Manual Arterial National Primary Distributor Roads Distributor Link Regional (see note 1) District Distributor Local Collector (see Notes 1 and 2) Local Collector Local Local Access Access Table 3.1: Terminology used within this Manual compared with other key publications. Designers must consider the Function of a street/street network. In general, as the movement function increases the street, designers: • Should optimise the movement of public transport. • Should cater for greater numbers of pedestrians and cyclists. • May need to cater for higher volumes of traffic. This approach should have regard to settlement size. For example an Arterial Street through a city may have to cater for much larger volumes of traffic than that in a village.
- Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets36 LINK STREETS LOCAL STREETS These are the streets that provide access within communities and to Arterial and Link streets. These provide the links to Arterial streets, or between Centres, Neighbourhoods, and/or Suburbs. HIGHER LOWER Figure 3.3: FUNCTION AND THE IMPORTANCE OF MOVEMENT These are the major routes via which major centres/nodes are connected. They may also include orbital or cross metropolitan routes within cites and larger towns. ARTERIAL STREETS
- 37May 2019 (Version 1.1) 3.2.2 Place Context One of the criticisms of the classification led approach is that the same set of standards are applied along the entire route, regardless of Context. Urban roads and streets can traverse many areas with very different characteristics, such as industrial areas, residential areas, mixed use neighbourhoods and city, town and village centres (see Figure 3.4). This clearly requires different design solutions within each of these different contexts. The Irish urban landscape contains an array of places that have their own unique set of characteristics. Where there are collective similarities between the characteristics of place they can be defined as a particular Context. For the purposes of this guide, Context is classified as: • Centre; • Neighbourhood; • Suburb; and • Business Park/Industrial Estate; In general, place status will be elevated where densities and land use intensity is greater, resulting in higher activity levels (in particular pedestrian activity). Designers must consider the Context of a street/street network. In general, as the place value of a street increases: Figure 3.4: A street or road may pass through a number of different contexts along its route. As context changes, the design of streets and roads will need to change accordingly. RURAL FRINGE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE TOWN CENTRE SUBURB VILLAGE CENTRE NEIGHBOURHOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD CITY CENTRE SUBURB TOWN CENTRE • Greater levels of connectivity will be required as accessibility demands will be higher. • Higher quality design solutions should be implemented that highlight and promote the importance of place. • Higher levels of pedestrian movement should be catered for and promoted to support vibrant and sustainable places. • Higher levels of integration between users will be required to calm traffic and increase ease of movement for more vulnerable users. Figure 3.5 summarises the relationship between place status and context. In most circumstances the characteristics of a place enable the classification of its Context to be readily identifiable. There are places where context will be more ambiguous. In such cases designers should undertake a process of analysis which identifies the characteristics of a place.1 1 Further guidance to assist designers in identifying context will be published as downloadable content to accompany this Manual.
- Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets38 CENTRES Centres include areas that are the focus of economic and cultural activity. Many cities, towns and villages are defined by the image of streets within their Centres. Place status is at its highest. Larger City and Town centres may occupy a number of blocks whilst smaller Village centres may only occupy a single street. Pedestrian activity is high as this is where most people are travelling to and once there, will most likely travel on foot. Pedestrian activity is highest in Centre streets that contain a concentration of retail and commercial frontages that directly open onto the street. HIGHER LOWER Figure 3.5: CONTEXT AND THE PLACE VALUE OF STREETS NOTE: 1. This refers to existing Shopping Centres developed to service lower density areas. These generally do not display the characteristics associated with highly valued places due to their inward looking nature and focus on vehicle movement (including extensive areas of surface parking). Their importance as destinations gives them a high place value that needs to be better responded to should these centres undergo significant redevelopment. NEIGHBOURHOODS Neighbourhoods include new and existing areas which are intensively developed with medium to higher density housing and/or contain a broad mix of uses. These areas generally include older areas that represent the first stages of urban expansions and more recently developed compact communities located towards the peripheries of cities and towns (i.e. those in excess of 35 dwellings per ha). Pedestrian activity ranges from higher to more moderate levels. The highest levels of pedestrian activity occur along major streets which connect destinations, where public transport services run. Such streets may also contain dispersed retail and commercial frontages. SUBURBS Suburbs predominantly consist of existing lower density housing developed over expansive areas. The place status of streets is harder to define within Suburbs. Many of these areas are attractive living places which are highly valued by residents for their green qualities and sense of tranquillity. However, many areas are criticised for their ‘placelessness’, due to a lack of connectivity and a high frequency of streets and ‘distributor roads’ that are devoid of development. Many of these characteristics contribute to lower levels of pedestrian activity. BUSINESS PARKS/ INDUSTRIAL ESTATES Business Parks/Industrial Estates are areas that are primarily focused on (and often purpose built for) providing areas of commercial and industrial activity outside of Centres. Streets within these areas generally have a low place status as buildings have little street presence and they are largely devoid of pedestrian activity. Many of these areas are in a state of transition toward more intensive commercial and residential uses replacing older industrial ones. As this transition occurs, the status of these places will rise. Place status in existing campus style Business Parks also tends to be higher and pedestrians can be highly active in these areas during business hours.
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