Streetscape, which usually is funded by the local government, homeowners association, subdivision, or

business improvement district, often is an important element in the revitalization of a business or

residential district.
Technically the public realm could be anything between the edge of street or the curb, if there is one, to
the private property line. Street trees, sidewalks, benches, landscaping, street lighting, and business
district amenities all contribute to the streetscape.
After several experiences of planning, constructing, and watching the results of such a program, I think it's
best to regard it as beautification. It's really the buildings and the businesses that count most.
However, if you need to set yourselves apart from another residential or business district, then you may
want to investigate the cost and engineering feasibility of a new streetscape. Well-coordinated
improvements in the public realm can create a unique sense of place and history.

Street Trees and Shade

A good streetscape makes pedestrians as comfortable as possible. After all, lingering near shopping or
visiting with neighbors are both community-building activities.
If you have hot weather where you live, you'll need shade. Street trees are ready-made for this, although
if you intend on their giving shade, they need to be selected to have a shape that offers a canopy.
Columnar shapes don't provide much shade.
Order trees as large as your nurseryman thinks practical, and as large as you can afford. Twigs don't
impress people too much.
Any supportive tree rings, which prevent the small tree from being snapped off, and your tree grates,
which allow watering to reach the roots, should be carefully thought out to match or complement the
material you are using on your benches and other elements of the streetscape.
The other benefit of street trees and landscaping is that they provide a welcome bit of unpredictability.
Organic shapes from plants offer infinite variety and provide curvaceous lines, stubborn imperfection, and
glorious color. Plan for year-round color, by the way, from foliage or woody shrubs if not from flowers.
Also consider very strongly whether foot traffic, dogs, road salt, and pollution from cars will damage any
landscaping you plan. And avoid monoculture, the practice of planting all one species. The reason is that
if disease strikes, then you might be left with no street trees.
Consider carefully what happens to the trees in various seasons. You don't want the street department to
complain for two solid months about the pods, seeds, and leaves they have to clean up.

I'm not saying the trees must be evergreen, but be careful with the type of leaf sweeping operation you're
creating for yourself. And those beautiful flowers in spring? Do they fall off and make a slimy mess on the
sidewalk when they're past their prime?
Geoffrey Donovan, a Portlander who has researched trees, shows that the rental value of housing
increases with a street tree nearby. People actually preferred their street trees nearby rather than right in
the middle of the property. Interesting, eh?
Another little gem from his research is that large street trees actually accompany low crime, whereas
small trees near homes are associated with higher crime.
If all of these cautions about street trees discourage you, another shade possibility is an awning program
or shade structures to fill awkward spaces gracefully. You also could have a splash fountain for the kids or
a place for the grown-ups to dabble their feet in the water.

Street Landscaping and Gardens

Landscaped parkways or tree lawns (the area between the curb and sidewalk in a typical neighborhood or
business district), landscaped medians, potted plants for sidewalks and street corners, and landscaping
borders along the fronts of vacant lots also should be considered as part of your streetscape.
If your community is interested in rain gardens or grassy swales, as opposed to routing stormwater
runoff directly along a curb and into an inlet system, your streetscape program definitely could include
such improvements.
The rain gardens (consisting of plants that enjoy being very wet or flooded) or swale, a depressed area
ideally planted with water-loving grasses, filter out the sediment and some pollutants from the stormwater.
Also they slow down the water, which decreases velocity, leading to less damage from any flooding that
might occur.

Streetscapes Might Include New Sidewalks

A streetscape program then may include replacing the sidewalk, often incorporating a new color or pattern
into the concrete. Sometimes also to make the street more pedestrian-friendly, the sidewalk is extended
further into the street at the ends of the blocks, thereby shortening the distance the pedestrian has to
travel from curb to curb.
These may be called bulb-outs, or a variety of other terms. Such techniques really add to making yours
a walkable community.
Beware of exquisitely detailed sidewalk patterns, as it may be very difficult to make the pattern look right
at each doorway.
That's not to discourage you from a geometric pattern, but just beware that store and office entranceways
require a considerable amount of planning and coordination with property owners. Regardless of how

careful you are, it's possible that the design simply doesn't coordinate well with the shop or office
doorway.
Paver stones, whether real or synthetic, also might be incorporated as accents into the sidewalk. Often
the curb is left its natural gray concrete color, with the actual sidewalk taking on a different hue.
Glitter may be mixed into the concrete for entertainment areas, and many colors of concrete are possible.
It's best to mix the concrete color or additive all the way through the mix rather than apply a thin veneer
on the top.
It's also possible to obtain striking color effects with asphalt these days, and you might want to try midintersection logos or place-relevant patterns.

Street Furniture, Such as Benches

Now let's talk about outdoor seating. Make the benches sturdy and serviceable, because if you install
something that can be easily stolen, vandalized, set fire to, or otherwise rendered inoperable, it's only a
matter of time before that happens.
Make sure the seating is as comfortable as possible, given that it's likely going to be metal.
Arrange benches in a pattern that will be comfortable for users. In other words, think about how close
people in your culture would like to sit across from or next to strangers. Also consider carefully whether
people want to rest near heavy traffic.
Some places have been inventive and created sidewalk pavers that look like a rug between two facing
benches. So let your imagination rule for awhile, and then bring it back down to earth with brainstorming
all the possible downsides to your plan.
If your area might become a homeless hangout, or already is one, consider installing the benches where
they are divider arms, so that a person cannot lie down on the bench to sleep.

Trash Cans, Bike Racks, Drinking Fountains, and Such

Benches seem to bring out candy wrappers and such, so plan for trash receptacles and determine how
they will be emptied. Consult with those who will pick up the trash before you choose a design.
You may want to have a trash can on a corner even if there is no bench. You don't want packaging and
receipts blowing around your business area.

Another amenity to consider is the bicycle rack. If you have the kind of community where people feel safe
leaving their bikes, you can encourage stopping for a cold beverage or a cup of coffee if there's secure
bike parking. A bikeable community is very desirable now.
Depending on climate, you may need to install a drinking fountain. In some neighborhoods, the kind with
the low bowl for dogs is popular.
During your streetscape program, you also might want to consider public restrooms if that is a need in
your town. If you go to the expense of making them available and maintaining them, give us a discreet
sign every once in a while to show where they are.
New street lighting is a very common element of a a streetscape program, as wiring can easily be
installed or moved to accommodate the new bases when sidewalks are being replaced.
Will you need an electric vehicle charging station?

Wayfinding and Marketing Signs

As you're planning streetscape, look at your signs and awnings again. Attractive signs to help visitors find
their way around are always welcome, as are signs pointing out historic sites, important government
offices, and parking.
If you work with a professional, they will call this "wayfinding" signage or a wayfinding system, which
might involve pavement colors, for example, instead of signs.
You can contract with a graphic artist to design attractive interpretive signs with vandalism-resistant
coverings to explain your history. You aren't limited to brass plaques. These signs would be oriented
toward pedestrians rather than drivers.
If you're interested in a common signage program, where each business has a small perpendicular sign
of a common size extending out from its front door, for instance, this is the time to implement that
program.
Uniform awning programs work well with new streetscape too. Sometimes special business districts or
business improvement districts subsidize the awnings for individual merchants.

Substitutes for New Streetscape

If you investigate the choices and feel that your community can't afford any of the options, look carefully at
some plain wood garden benches, that can be backed up to the storefronts and bolted down. Also check
into large pots or half barrels that can hold annuals. Something inexpensive such as petunias still will add
color, motion, and vitality.
If you can't afford to color your sidewalk, maybe three times a year you have a chalk painting contest and
become famous for it.

And keep in mind that I'd rather see a vital business district, where people are continuously going in and
out of shops, with a plain old gray concrete sidewalk, than a dead business district with an artful
streetscape.
Because people are the very best ingredient for adding color, motion, unpredictability, and interest to your
street!
In fact, we recommend a book about making your neighborhood memorable in general: The Great
Neighborhood Book: A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Placemaking1.
Another benefit of doing nothing is that a streetscape program, in which the sidewalk is replaced, street
trees are planted where there were none before, and so forth, disrupts the business district for a whole
season or more.
Can your businesses afford to alienate their clientele for two to five months while you pretty up the place?
By that time, customers might have found another place to buy a cup of coffee.
If you decide to move forward with a new streetscape look, plan very carefully to provide for pedestrian
safety and an understandable system of showing where it is safe to drive, park, and walk. Invent a slogan
for your streetscape program and talk about how great it's going to be when it's finished.

What to look for in a street

Streets should be part of our living space and a common area for the community, equal to the
park and the footpath. The road itself is more than a racetrack. A good street is one in which you
can chat with your neighbour without having to shout over traffic noise, or worry about your
safety and that of small children. Effective traffic control measures can make the difference
between a street that merely looks attractive to one that is genuinely pedestrian-friendly.
The following features make streets more livable safer, cleaner and more attractive:

unique houses that still fit together in a consistent pattern so that no single house is
dominant

fairly consistent alignment of house frontages

regularly spaced tree planting on both sides of the street to give it identity

well-lit streets in urban areas

active street frontages, particularly in urban areas shops and businesses that are
open and trading

private garden landscapes that complement the street planting

streets that give pedestrians and cyclists priority and are designed to discourage
speeding

streets in which the width of the carriageway relates to traffic volume and is not wider
than necessary

garages that dont dominate the street frontage

driveway crossovers of minimum width

fences and walls of an alignment, height and style consistent with others in the street

pavements that are porous or modular where possible to encourage stormwater

infiltration

clear sight lines between house entrances and the street, providing visual surveillance of
the street to maximise neighbourhood safety

underground services, to remove unsightly power lines and not impede street tree
growth

solar street lights, which indicate local council commitment to sustainable infrastructure.

Streetscapes value
Attractive and functional streetscapes increase residents quality of life and their property
values.
Understanding the value of streetscape means thinking outside the block.

The streetscape should encourage community interaction and exchange. People who feel
isolated from society are more likely to behave in a manner detrimental to the needs of the
community. The idea of community is not just about a feel-good factor. During the next few
years the value of community will be reflected in industry rating tools. This will provide another
measure to help home buyers make choices about where they live.
An effective streetscape should convey a sense of openness and sharing while offering a
degree of privacy.
Elements like trees and footpaths encourage pedestrian activity, which reinforces social
interaction and provides casual surveillance of the street.
A streetscape that looks inviting is more likely to encourage people to live there, increasing
demand and property prices.
The same principles apply whether you look at a conventional street with buildings lined up
along a road, or clustered housing where homes are arranged around a central space. Streets
do much to define a neighbourhood and a well-designed street can create a pocket
neighbourhood.

Good streetscape design

Creating a sympathetic building design and additions to fit in with the streetscape does not
mean that neighbouring house designs must be imitated. It implies being conscious of the
areas natural environment, heritage significance, density, style and social and cultural mix.
Good house design allows individuality without detracting from the character of the street or the
amenity of neighbours.
Creating a good streetscape has less to do with individual building designs than how the
different buildings relate to each other.
Visit your local council for guidelines specific to your area. Council planners understand the
features that give a precinct its individual character and are trained to help you find solutions
that meet your needs without destroying that character.
Solutions include:

complementary materials and colours

roof pitch to maintain consistency with the neighbouring houses

bulk, form and height sympathetic to the character of the street

passive visual surveillance to discourage crime provide outlook over the street and
public space from at least one room other than a bathroom or bedroom

consistent street fencing, which does not isolate the house from the street balance
privacy requirements with the need for a visual connection with the street in new fences
and walls

low walls to integrate mail boxes and shield bins and recycling facilities from the street

landscaping to enhance the quality of the streetscape; use plants to screen or direct
views, provide shade, clean the air and give visual identity to a street

garden planting which considers the rhythm and proportion of existing street planting
(intervals between trees, height and spread); plant fewer big trees rather than many
small trees

planting species that wont damage footpaths, structures or drainage or invade adjacent
bushland

planting native species which require less water and provide a habitat for native animals.
Many local councils and natural resources/catchment boards provide lists of local
indigenous plant species (see the appendix Landscaping and garden design).

Fences should not be so tall that they isolate a house from the street.

Low fences, screening planting and well-placed windows allow casual surveillance of the street
from inside.
Places to avoid include:

isolated, physically segregated residential developments or gated communities that use

a fortress approach to neighbourhood design

areas that have poor pedestrian visibility such as pedestrian underpasses that reduce
opportunities for natural surveillance and footpaths lined by dense vegetation or high
walls

streets with blank walls and fences, car parks and service areas that separate the fronts
of buildings from the street, and excessively wide garage doors fronting streets

neighbourhoods cut across by heavily trafficked roads.

Be a good neighbour

Offset windows to ensure maximum privacy.

The many ways to be a good neighbour include:

offsetting windows to ensure maximum privacy

using landscaping and other devices to selectively screen views

protecting acoustic privacy by careful siting and internal planning locate bedrooms
and private open space away from noise sources such as service equipment, busy
roads, driveways or active recreational areas

avoiding directly overlooking your neighbours main living areas or garden space by
careful location and design of windows and balconies.

not building in a way that significantly overshadows the main living areas or garden
space of neighbours

not locating noisy areas (e.g. pools, driveways, and service equipment) near the
bedrooms or living areas of neighbours; locating driveways and parking areas at least
3m from bedroom windows

protecting as much as possible any significant views enjoyed by neighbouring

properties.

Pocket neighbourhoods
Pocket neighbourhoods are groups of around a dozen households that provide a sense of place
and territory. They can form the building blocks of much larger neighbourhoods. Instead of
standing alone, a larger, shared backyard becomes part of a home domain that includes friends
and neighbours.
Shared outdoor space is a key element of a pocket neighbourhood. Neither private, like a
backyard, nor public like a busy street, shared outdoor space becomes a space that eases the
transition between the private and public realms. This can make interaction with neighbours
easier and facilitate the formation of friendships.
Pocket neighbourhoods accommodate cars but have a core area where individual homes face
onto a shared, car-fee space where people can sit and chat and children can play
opportunities not available in conventional subdivisions.
Streets can be transformed into pocket neighbourhoods, or designed as community-friendly
places from the outset.

This kind of development is rare in Australia, but recalls the ambience of old villages. They can
be rural or urban. One urban example is Christie Walk in Adelaide, where shared outdoor space
and the resulting pedestrian streetscape help redefine the nature of inner-city living.

Dont overlook your neighbours living and relaxation areas.

Streetscape is a term used to describe the natural and built fabric of the street, and defined as
the design quality of the street and its visual effect, particularly how the paved area is laid out
and treated. It includes buildings, the street surface, and also the fixtures and fittings that
facilitate its use from bus shelters and signage to planting schemes [1]. The unification of the
elements of streetscape can help in the success of visual experience [2]. Sustainable
streetscape ensures that spaces are long-lasting and function as a part of the greater
ecosystem employing technologies that manage stormwater runoff and reduce carbon footprint.
And it helped create better places for present and future residents [3]. So the sustainable
design of the streetscape is one of the determining factors in the success of the city.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1687404813000102