CHAPTER Neighbourhood design
NETWORK TYPES
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Street layouts should feature a rich array of street and route types. This diversity of streets determines a community’s character, and whether it functions as a coherent whole. Street layouts can take a variety of forms, but in terms of shape and configuration, the two main network typologies tend to be either gridded or dendritic (branched form resembling a tree). A dendritic or suburban hierarchy is designed where local streets only flow to collectors and collectors only flow to arterials. This approach tends to concentrate vehicles onto the congested arterial system and encourages high speeds throughout, and should generally be avoided. The desired gridded street network connects all types of streets with one another. Individual streets can be more diverse, vehicle speeds can be reduced, and the network can function more efficiently, supporting a range of transport modes. Good patterns of urban street networks support a diverse set of street types and a dense pattern of streets and intersections, facilitating the efficient use of land.
NETWORK STRUCTURE
INTEGRATION
The layout of any neighbourhood or unit of development should contribute to an urban structure of interconnected neighbourhoods and centres. The urban structure of new developments should enhance the structure and connectivity of existing networks. The connected street structure should support several scales of movement – from accommodating pedestrian movements along and across a street to connecting to the local destinations and centres. It should also enable and support the viability of local and regional public transport systems. The length of each leg of a journey, on different street types, and the concentration or dispersion of vehicle numbers on each street, can affect driver behaviour. The safety of the network must be considered, by the design of streets and by encouraging safe behaviour.
Permeable and connected movement networks provide choices for people walking and cycling, reduce land consumption, and improve overall network efficiency. Public spaces such as parks and plazas should be integrated into these networks, further encouraging walking and community activity. Where networks overlap for a variety of uses and users, places become better used, safer, encourage shorter distance and multi-purpose trips and are more appealing. Designing streets both as valuable public realm and as the structure of the movement network requires that car use is balanced with other modes and priorities. This results in a street space that accommodates all users and treats the street as a positive, pleasant space.
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