Streets are for Quality of Life

City Streets, where people live, work, and play, are not the same as Roads and Highways, which move cars from place to place.  It’s time to stop designing them as if they were.

City Streets:
Are what PEOPLE use during the day to live, work, and play.
Design Priority:  Quality of Life, Safety

Streets are for people where they live, work, and play.

Roads and Highways: 
Are what CARS use get from one place to another quickly and efficiently
Design Priority:  Level of Service, Volume, Velocity and Safety.

Roads are for cars to go from place to place.

However, when you combine the two BOTH FAIL. You don’t get a good Quality of Life or efficient movement of cars.  Streets are for People. Roads are for cars. Don’t expect the same performance from them, and don’t design them as if you can.

FAIL - When streets are designed like roads you get neither quality of life or efficiency

The folks at Strong Towns call these STROADS. I think the name fits.