04 connectivity & walk ability
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CONNECTIVITY AND
WALKABILITY
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WALKABILITY
Connectivity
Connectivity refers to the directness of links and the density of
connections in path or road network.
A well-connected road or path network has many short links,
numerous intersections, and minimal dead-ends (cul-de-sacs).
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High Connectivity Low Connectivity
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As connectivity increases, travel distances decrease and
route options increase, allowing more direct travel between
destinations, creating a more Accessible and Resilient system
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Disconnected street
pattern
Connected street
pattern
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Do shorter greater street connectivity provide any benefits for
communities ?
Regardless of their size, three major benefits from better
connectivity are shorter trips; a wider variety of travel
choices; and more cost-effective public services and
infrastructure.
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Do shorter greater street connectivity provide any benefits for
communities ?
More direct connections shortens travel time, whicheffectively brings people closer to their destinations.
Community residents can get to schools, shopping centres,
and other spots – not because these places were too far away,but because they were too far out of the way .
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firefighters, police, and ambulance services can save precious
minutes reaching the scene of an emergency, and can serve abroader area without driving up their operating costs.
Similarly, greater connectivity can reduce costs of providing
other services, such as waste collection, by decreasing travel time
and mileage
Another benefit: by creating more ways for people to get from
point A to point B, communities can diversify the flow of traffic and,
in many cases, also enable travel choices other than driving.
This improves overall mobility and helps reduce congestion on
overworked arterials.
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The key is to create strategically located
links that benefit broad cross-sections of the
community.
“Good connectivity does not necessarily
mean eliminating every last cul- de-sac.
The real purpose of connectivity is toprovide a variety of routes for daily travel,
such as to schools, grocery stores, and after
school activities.
Connected street networks provide aframework for cohesive communities that
can provide public services in a highly
efficient way and can adapt to change
without losing their core identity. C
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The number of ways to get to
each intersection from 1st and
A.
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Connectivity And Walkability
A walkable neighbourhood isn’t walkable unless it has a well-connected
thoroughfare network.
A well-connected network, composed of direct, convenient routes, is one of
the key ingredients of walkability.
Well-connected neighbourhoods have a host of advantages for residents and
for the greater community.
street connectivity is associated with more walking, less driving, greater safety, less crime, better physical fitness, and fewer per capita
emissions.
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Connectivity And Walkability
Connectivity on the neighbourhood scale is about connectivity
within neighbourhoods. It’s about the routes and
connections from building to building, from lot to lot, and
from block to block.
There are a variety of metrics that can characterize connectivity,
such as density of intersections, block size, number of 3-
and 4-way intersections and cul-de-sacs, and route
directness.
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Connectivity And Walkability
Walkability is a complex phenomenon involving such elementsas sidewalks, appealing streetscapes, and doors facing the
street. But from the perspective of someone trying to
decide on a dwelling, the most basic measure of walkability
is, “What can I walk to from here?”
availability of public transit, safety, and connectivity, all of which
are quite important to what I consider a walkable
environment; an environment that supports pedestrian
travel in an area.
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Walkable
What is the definition of “walkable”?
Destinations close by
If people are going to walk, there have to be places to walk to.
Walkable neighbourhoods have a variety of destinations
within walking distance.
Destinations might include commercial establishments or civicestablishments, civic spaces or transit stops.
Direct and convenient routes
Walkers don’t like to take long detours, so routes from place
to place are relatively close to a straight line. That means small blocks and few or no dead ends.
There are also plenty of alternate routes between any two
places, which both reduce traffic bottlenecks and provide the
variety that encourages walking. C
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Walkable
Comfortable and interesting pedestrian ways
Pedestrian safety is greatest when vehicle speeds are low.
On-street parking, trees, and other design elements are a
buffer between pedestrians and traffic.
Sidewalks are sized appropriately for the number of
walkers.
Buildings meet the street in such a way to make the
“outdoor rooms” that are the mark of the best urban places.
Building facades are human scale, with frequent doorways
and windows, and attractive details and ornament. These design elements also allow workers and residents to
keep an eye on the street and respond to criminal activity;
in addition, popular walking areas tend to be more safe
than deserted areas. C
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How It Is Implemented
Connectivity can be increased during roadway and pathway
planning, when subdivisions are designed, by adopting s
treet connectivity standards or goals, by requiring
alleyways and mid-block pedestrian shortcuts, by
constructing new roads and paths connecting destinations,by using shorter streets and smaller blocks, and by applying
Traffic Calming rather than closing off streets to control
excessive vehicle traffic.
New Urbanism development practices emphasize a high degree of
street connectivity.
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How It Is Implemented
Typical street connectivity standards or goals include the featureslisted below.
Encourage average intersection spacing for local street to be
300-400 feet.
Limits maximum intersection spacing for local streets to about
600 feet.
Limits maximum intersection spacing for arterial streets to
about 1,000 feet. Limits maximum spacing between pedestrian/bicycle
connections to about 350 feet (that is, it creates mid-block
paths and pedestrian shortcuts).
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How It Is Implemented
Typical street connectivity standards or goals (cont.)
Reduces street pavement widths to 24-36 feet.
Limits maximum block size to 5-12 acres.
Limits or discourages cul-de-sacs (for example, to 20% of streets).
Limits the maximum length of cul-de-sacs to 200 or 400 feet.
Limits or discourages gated communities and other restrictedaccess roads.
Requires multiple access connections between a development
and arterial streets.
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How It Is Implemented
Typical street connectivity standards or goals (cont.)
Requires a minimum connectivity index, or rewards
developments that have a high connectivity index with
various incentives.
Specifically favors pedestrian and cycling connections, and
sometime connections for transit and emergency vehicles,
where through traffic is closed to general automobile traffic.
Creates a planning process to connect street “stubs,” that is,
streets that are initially cul-de-sacs but can be connected
when adjacent parcels are developed in the future
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Travel Impacts
Increased street connectivity can reduce vehicle travel byreducing travel distances between destinations and by
supporting alternative modes.
Increased Connectivity tends to Improve Walking and Cycling
conditions, particularly where paths provide shortcuts, so
walking and cycling are relatively faster than driving. This
also supports transit use.
Alba and Beimborn (2005) finds that improved local streetconnectivity can reduce traffic volumes, and therefore traffic
congestion, on major arterials.
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Benefits and Costs
Improved Connectivity tends to increase transportation system
Resilience by increasing route options, reducing problemswhen a particular link is closed.
It improves emergency response by allowing emergency vehicles
more direct access, and reduces the risk that an area will
become inaccessible if a particular part of the roadway isblocked by a traffic accident or fallen tree.
A more connected street system allows a fire station to serve about
three times as much area as in an area with unconnected
streets, increases the efficiency and safety of services such as
garbage collection and street sweeping, and tends to reduce
water quality problems that result from stagnant water in
dead-end pipes at the end of cul-de-sacs (Handy, Paterson and Butler, 2004,
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Benefits and Costs
Increased road and path connectivity reduces per capita vehicle
travel and improves overall accessibility, particularly for non-
drivers - therefore help reduce traffic congestion, accidents and
pollution emissions, and improve mobility for non-drivers.
Increased Connectivity may require lower traffic speeds, since there
are shorter links and more intersections.
Residential properties tend to have lower values on connected
streets than on cul-de-sacs.
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Best Practices
Handy, Paterson and Butler (2004) provide recommendations
for improving roadway and pathway connectivity.
Minimize dead-end streets, and where they exist limit their
length to about 200 feet.
Where dead-end streets exist, try to create paths that provide
shortcuts for walking and cycling.
A modified-grid street network with a high degree of
connectivity should generally be used in urban areas.
As much as possible, new developments and urban
redevelopments should have a high degree of roadway
and pathway connectivity.C
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Best Practices
Handy, Paterson and Butler (2004) provide recommendations for
improving roadway and pathway connectivity.
Use short street and small blocks as much as possible. An ideal for
urban development is a 300 to 500 foot grid for pedestrians
and bicycles networks and a 500 to 1,000 foot grid for motor
vehicle streets.
Planners should watch for opportunities to increase connectivity,
particularly for non-motorized paths.
Traffic Calming should generally be used instead of street closures
to control excessive vehicle traffic on urban streets.
We actually started to use congestion as a means to
slow and regulate traffic, rather than trying to build
roads in order to arrive at zero congestion (an
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If you live in a suburb like this one in Las Vegas, it might be hard to walk to the grocery st
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