ULI Building Healthy Places Toolkit

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2 Design well-connected street networks at the human scale

  • Strategies
  • Insights
Photo: Kimley-Horn

Evidence Based Strategies

  • Design the street network with the pedestrian in mind: ensure good connectivity as well as a choice of routes for walking.
  • To maximize walkability, developments should favor shorter blocks—200 to 400 feet (60 to 120 meters)—with multiple intersections within developments.

Best Practice Strategies

  • Establish pedestrian paths to allow for a cut-through in the middle of longer blocks.
  • Reduce the amount of land devoted to parking to increase space for other pedestrian-oriented uses and activities. Leverage shared parking opportunities where possible.
  • Design blocks to minimize pedestrian exposure to surface parking lots and active driveways. For example, situate parking behind buildings and provide direct sidewalk access to building entrances and lobbies.

David Henry

Chief Operating Officer, Springfield Land Corporation
Brisbane, Australia
 
  • At the Greater Springfield development] physical activity is everywhere: we have many kilometers of bike and jogging tracks, more than a third of the land preserved as open space, fully utilized sport fields, and significant public transport usage. Health anchors our development, with 15 schools focusing on health care, primary health care facilities immersed into the six suburban neighborhoods, a new hospital under construction, health-related training courses at the university and technical college, and retirement partners about to deliver new housing to meet our aging consumer base.

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Building Healthy Places

The ULI Building Healthy Places Initiative is leveraging the power of ULI’s global networks to shape projects and places in ways that improve the health of people and communities.

Acknowledgements

The Center for Active Design served as contributing author and expert content advisor for this project.
The project was supported by the Colorado Health Foundation, the estate of Melvin Simon, and the ULI Foundation.

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