How cities used the curb and street space to respond to COVID-19 and policy ideas to ensure the curb best serves the public good
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COVID and teh Curb
1
How cities used the curb and street space to respond to COVID-19
and policy ideas to ensure the curb best serves the public good
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICA
B ackgro u nd / Ack no w l e d g m e n t s
BACKGROUND & ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This document was created and shaped by the
2020 Smart Cities Collaborative.
The Smart Cities Collaborative is a year- Instead, the Collaborative member cities
long program run by Transportation for came together to create two resources:
America (T4America) for public sector this report, and a set of principles to in-
transportation leaders to share their ex- form the development of future universal
periences with new mobility technologies curbside language and standards.
and develop best practices to ensure that
these services improve city life. Each Collaborative member city was asked 2
to complete a survey to explain how their
In its third year, the 2020 Smart Cities city adapted its curb management during
Collaborative (Collaborative) focused its COVID-19 and identify curbside policy
efforts on the curb, specifically identifying changes they would like to see. The survey
best practices and guidelines for better responses informed this document and
curbside management. Originally, T4Amer- feedback from cities listed below shaped
ica had selected the City of Boston, City of the final version of the report.
Minneapolis, and City of Bellevue, WA for
funding and support to complete curbside T4America would like to sincerely thank
management pilot projects. However, everyone who participated in the Collabo-
Signage for a Mobility Hub COVID-19 forced everyone to adapt: rative this year. Efforts like the Collabora-
in Minneapolis, MN. T4America translated its in-person pro- tive are only able to be successful because
Photo credit: City of
Minneapolis. gram to a virtual format and the cities were of the expertise and creativity of the prac-
not all able to run their pilots as planned. titioner participants.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICA
B ackgro u nd / Ack no w l e d g m e n t s
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Collaborative member cities: Metro, OR Mae Hanzlik, Program Manager at
City of Ann Arbor, MI Eliot Rose Transportation for America, is the primary
Cyrus Naheedy City of Minneapolis, MN author of this document. Beth Osborne,
Jada Hahlbrock Danielle Elkins director of the Smart Cities Collaborative;
Raymond Hess Dillon Fried Camron Bridgford, Senior Associate at
City of Bellevue, WA Jasna Hadzic-Stanek Cityfi; and Jenna Fortunati, Communications
Andisheh Ranjbari (UW Urban Freight Lab) Jennifer Lowry Associate at Transportation for America;
Chris Iverson Portland Bureau of Transportation, OR provided extensive editorial support. Helen
Chris Long Briana Orr Hope, Communications Associate at Smart
Daniel Lai Chris Armes Growth America provided additional edits.
Franz Loewenherz Eric Hesse
City of Boston, MA Kathryn Doherty-Chapman
Kris Carter Matt Berkow
Matt Warfield Mike Serritella Transportation for America, a program of
Mieka Lewis Peter Hurley Smart Growth America, is an advocacy
Natalia Urtbey Peter Wojcicki organization made up of local, regional, and
Shaina Hobbs state leaders who envision a transportation
3
City of Boulder, CO
Mark Shisler San Francisco Municipal Transportation system that safely, affordably, and
Ryan Noles Agency, CA conveniently connects people of all means
Darton Ito and ability to jobs, services, and opportunity
District Department of Transportation, DC Katie Angotti through multiple modes of travel.
Benito Pérez Mari Hunter
Laura MacNeil
Sharada Strasmore City of West Palm Beach, FL
Chris Roog
City of Gainesville, FL Lina Camacho
Malisa Mccreedy Uyen Dang This document was made possible, in part,
City of Grand Rapids, MI City of West Sacramento, Capital Projects & by support from the New Urban Mobility
Jon Re Transportation, CA Alliance (NUMO). NUMO is a global alliance
Zach Christian-Rotramel Larry Lee that channels tech-based disruptions in
City of Gresham, Urban Design & Planning Sarah Strand urban transport to create joyful cities where
Department, OR sustainable and just mobility is the new
Carly Rice Collaborative steering committee members: normal. Learn more at numo.global.
Katherine Kelly Alex Pazuchanics, Seattle Dept. of Transportation, WA
Los Angeles Department of Transportation, CA Benito Perez, District Dept. of Transportation, DC The report was designed by Cecily Anderson,
Jarvis Murray Kelly Rula, Seattle Dept. of Transportation, WA anagramdesignstudio.com
Rubina Ghazarian Melanie Morgan, City of Centennial, CO
Warren Logan, Oakland Mayor’s Office, CA Cover photo credit: Portland Bureau of
City of Madison, WI
Yang Tao Transportation
C o nt ents
Contents
2 Background and acknowledgments
5 Introduction
7 Executive summary
10 Part 1 - Case studies of cities’ COVID-19 curb response 4
11 Retail and other business operations
18 Outdoor dining and food pick-up
23 Slow Streets
29 Community input in curb-related initiatives
32 Transit lanes
35 Part 2 - Ideas to guide curbside management policy
36 Local curbside policy ideas to:
36 Allocate the curb equitably
39 Improve curb flexibility
41 Make the curb a place of innovation and piloting
43 State and federal curbside policy ideas
Children play in New York
City, summer 2020.
Photo credit: Street Lab
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICA
In trod uc tio n
Over the past few years, curbs
have increasingly become
more than just the space
between streets and sidewalks.
introduction
Curbs are transportation hubs, where people walk and 5
roll; access app-based shared bicycles, scooters, or cars;
board buses and taxis; and park their personal vehicles.
Curbs are community spaces, too. They might host an
annual block party or event where a portion of a street
is closed, or might provide space to a curbside cafe or
parklet. Unhoused community members, often without
other options, use curbs as temporary living spaces.
Business owners field deliveries and send out their
products at the curb. Residences receive packages from
online retailers, either directly to single-family homes
and apartments, or indirectly to storage lockers where
people can retrieve them later.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICA
In trod uc tio n
In 2020, the curb was used for all This document is intended to serve as What do we mean
those purposes and more. COVID-19 a resource for: by “the curb”?
accelerated some of the changing uses
• Cities interested in implement- Technically speaking, the curb is the
of and growing demand on the curb al-
ing curb and street pilots and physical barrier between the side-
ready underway, and shined a light on walk and the street. However, often
longer-term programs and policy when transportation professionals
the immense value of the curb and its
adjustments in 2021 and beyond. and the public refer to the curb it
crucial role in preventing the spread of includes not just the “curb,” but the
COVID-19. The curb helped support • Cities looking to innovate at the “curb lane,” which is the street space
adjacent to the curb that is often
community health and economies, be it curb and develop curbs that are used for transportation, delivery,
through curbside pickup, curbside din- flexible and allocated equitably. This parking, and loading, as well as the
“interstitial space” between the curb
ing, e-commerce delivery, slow streets, is relevant for future crises but also in and the sidewalk that often houses 6
curbside COVID-19 testing, and more. less urgent times, as the demands on parking meters, bioswales, street
furniture, bus stops, and treeboxes.
the curb are always changing but will
This report is organized in two parts: likely be ever increasing.
Part 1 | Cities’ COVID-19 Curb • State and federal agencies respon-
Response: Case studies to inform sible for setting policy that has
cities’ COVID-19 response today and curbside management implications.
curbside management in the future.
Part 2 | Ideas to guide curbside
management policy: Local, state, fed-
eral policy ideas to guide the future of
curbside management.
Photo credit:
AndyC, Wikimedia Commons
Execut iv e S umma r y
To prevent the spread of
COVID-19, city and state
governments put in place
new guidelines and restrictions that closed or par-
tially closed businesses, restaurants, public gath-
ering spaces, parks, trails, and more in order to
protect public health. Local governments needed to
get creative, being keenly aware of the debilitating
EXECUTIVE impact of COVID-19 on people’s mental and physical 7
health, access to essential resources, employment
status, and small businesses. These issues were all
SUMMARY the more significant because of the disproportion-
ate harm faced by certain communities, particularly
Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of
color. In response, cities across the country piloted
new solutions, swapped use cases with peers, stayed
as nimble as possible, and reassessed how govern-
ment assets could better and more equitably serve
the public during this crisis.
As part of the response, a number of cities repro-
Outdoor dining in the City grammed curb and street space for retail, outdoor
of Boston. Photo credit:
City of Boston.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICA
Execut iv e S umma r y
dining, and active transportation; worked • Identifying pilot locations.
with communities to design curb pilots; • Revising permitting processes to be
and set up temporary transit lanes and less arduous and more equitable.
COVID-19 testing sites. Due to the
• Communicating clearly new regula-
urgent nature of the crisis, cities devel-
tions and processes.
oped new approaches to a number of
challenges (many rooted in issues that • Locating staff capacity to implement
existed far before COVID-19) and iden- and maintain pilots and projects.
tified processes that should be revisited • Determining when and how to make
post-pandemic. pilots sustainable in the long-term.
8
Some overarching challenges cities faced Some approaches to addressing the chal-
included: lenges included:
• Balancing equitable community en- • Reviewing permitting processes
gagement with pressure to provide and waiving certain requirements to
quick solutions. ensure processes are simple, more
• Wrestling with what is public space, who expedient and accessible to all busi-
is it for, and what it should look like. nesses, especially smaller businesses
with fewer resources.
Outdoor dining in
Boston, MA. Photo
credit: City of Boston.
Execut iv e S umma r y
• Analyzing community feedback to Today residents, elected officials, and
determine if responses were wholly small business owners are paying clos-
representative of the community’s er attention to the curb and how it can
demographics and meeting identi- be strategically leveraged for the pub-
fied community needs. If not, allo- lic’s benefit. This provides cities with
cating further resources to work an opportunity to shift management of
closely with community leaders and their curbs in a way that is more:
advocates to ensure feedback is
equitable and representative. • Equitable - Serving all users,
• Using the temporary nature of especially the most vulnerable
pilots to gain broader support from curb users. 9
stakeholders who otherwise would • Flexible - Responding to changing
not be supportive. community needs within a given
• Adapting curb pilots based on the context.
local context of a pilot’s location • Innovative - Allowing cities to
and being flexible when local condi- pilot new approaches and tools to
tions change. ensure the curb can continue to
evolve and serve all users.
Outdoor dining in
Boston, MA. Photo
credit: City of Boston.
C a se St udi e s
While the role of the curb was
in flux before COVID-19, the
pandemic accelerated the
need for a number of changes and required local
governments to get creative. Cities can learn from
Part 1 their peers’ strategies to reprogram curbs during
COVID-19 to inform their ongoing pandemic re-
sponse as well as help develop long-term curbside
Cities’ COVID-19 management strategies. The following series of short
case studies spotlight curb actions taken by local
governments to respond to COVID-19.
10
curb response Case studies address the following topics and are or-
ganized by what was considered their primary topic,
Case studies to inform cities’ though their content often covers multiple topics.
COVID-19 response today • Retail and other business operations
& curbside management • Outdoor dining and food pick-up
in the future • Slow Streets
• Community input in curb-related initiatives
• Transit lanes
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
How can we use the MAKE IT EASY FOR BUSINESSES TO
curb to support 1 CONTINUE OPERATIONS OUTSIDE
local businesses
Ann Arbor Downtown drop-off (PUDO) zones, especially
and keep people Development Authority’s near dining establishments.
safe during a COVID-19 response • Waiving all City Sidewalk Occupan-
ANN ARBOR, MI cy Permit fees for every business—
pandemic?
more than 100 small businesses—
Leadership of the Ann Arbor
within the downtown district in
Downtown Development Authority
2020 so they can use the sidewalk
(DDA) knew that downtown businesses 11
Reprogram curb were hit hard by COVID-19 and that
for seating.
• Developing a “parking space repur-
space for retail space at the curb could help alleviate
some of the hardship. DDA got creative posing” program to allow 40 restau-
and more. and used a number of methods to rants to use the on-street parking
reprogram the curb and support local spaces in front of their properties
At the beginning of the pandemic,
many local businesses were forced businesses. for extended patio space at no cost
to close—some indefinitely—in order to businesses.
to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
When city and state governments The approach • Working with merchant associa-
started lifting some restrictions, busi-
Ann Arbor Downtown Development tions to develop a plan for street
nesses desperately needed greater
access to the curb in order to suc- Authority worked with the city on an closures so that businesses could
cessfully function. Below are some
approach that included: expand into the street. As part of
examples of how cities set up these
programs and what they learned in this effort the city covered the
the process. cost—about $50,000— to rent and
• Converting on-street parking to
support 15-minute pick-up and install barricades.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
• Providing emergency landscape Select challenges
maintenance funding to the mer- and lessons learned
chant associations who were unable The initial deployment involved bag-
to maintain their planters due to the ging meters as “no parking” and accom-
loss of revenue from a typically pop- panying those with signs permitting
ular annual event, the Art Fair. temporary PUDO zones. However,
• Installing holiday lights six weeks parking enforcement was concerned
earlier than planned in order to get about the mixed messaging, which
downtown streets lit before the end made writing tickets difficult. One of
of daylight savings time and ensure the challenges was that some people
downtown’s outdoor area is as wel- parked in PUDO zones all day once the 12
coming as possible. lack of enforcement became apparent.
Ann Arbor has since rectified this issue
with new red meter bags that clearly
outline the rules.
Learn more on the DDA’s website
as well as their partner Ann Arbor
SPARK’s website.
New red meter bags in
Ann Arbor. Photo credit:
City of Ann Arbor.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
STAY ORGANIZED, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOUR
2
2 PROGRAM EVOLVES TO A MULTI-AGENCY EFFORT
San Francisco Municipal expanded to provide pick-up drop-off
Transportation Agency (SFMTA) zones for businesses, and then finally
Shared Spaces provided outdoor dining for restau-
SAN FRANCISCO, CA rants. This is when it officially took on
the “Shared Spaces” name and became
SFMTA’s Shared Spaces program a multi-agency effort as encroachment
repurposed the city’s curb space to permits (the permits needed for out-
respond to the many grocery stores, door dining) in San Francisco are issued 13
restaurants, and businesses across the by a separate department.
city who needed to expand their oper-
ations outside to allow for safe social As part of this effort, SFMTA worked
distancing. closely with city agencies and offices
including Public Works, Information
The approach Technology, the Public Utilities Com-
SFMTA’s Shared Spaces program has mission, Planning, Building Inspection,
evolved over the course of the pan- the Mayor’s Office, the Board of Su-
demic. In the program’s beginning, pervisors, Office of Disability, Office
SFMTA provided social distancing of Small Business, Office of Economic
space for the long lines queuing outside & Workforce Development, as well as
Shared Spaces program in San
Francisco, CA. Photo credit:
of grocery stores and banks, and then businesses and residents.
San Francisco Municipal
Transportation Agency.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
Select challenges working behind the scenes who had
and lessons learned a clear understanding of what tools
It was challenging for SFMTA to con- were and were not in SFMTA’s control.
currently run and build the program.
For example, expectations for how For other agencies considering similar
quickly the agency could issue a permit efforts, SFMTA recommends:
were being set and spread by word-
• Ensuring that all communications,
of-mouth, when in reality it was de-
permits, forms, and documents are
pendent on the location of the permit:
in agreement. Either they all say
Is it in a red zone or tow away zone?
the same thing, or they all point to
At a transit stop? Does it include an 14
one location that has the relevant,
ADA-compliant space? Is it in front of
Shared Spaces program in San most up-to-date information.
a neighboring property? Each of these
Francisco, CA.
Photo credit: SF Planning considerations would change how • Being prepared to be flexible,
Department. SFMTA had to approach the permit responsive to community needs,
and who they needed to involve in the make changes in response to fix
process. Since the program was being issues that arise, and move on.
built as they went, it was difficult to This is especially important for
manage expectations. agencies who are creating pro-
grams while they are concurrently
SFMTA has issued more than 1,300 operating them.
free Shared Spaces permits across the
city and credits the success of the pro- Learn more about SFMTA’s Shared
gram to the many agencies and staff Spaces program.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
WORK WITH LOCAL BUSINESSES TO REPURPOSE
3 YOUR STREETS AND CURB SPACE
PBOT’s Summer Street Plaza (SDBA), to create an outdoor plaza to
PORTLAND, OR provide safer places for businesses to
serve food and conduct retail sales in
To support local businesses and allow
the Albina district.
space for social distancing, Portland
Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) re-
The Albina district is the historic center
programmed the curb and street space
of Black cultural, economic, and spiritual
in Portland’s Albina district to provide 15
life in the City of Portland and has wit-
space for outdoor dining, public art,
nessed high levels of displacement and
and retail.
gentrification in recent decades. PBOT
selected this district in part because
The approach
earlier in the pandemic they rolled out
As part of the National Association of
a Healthy Businesses Permit Program
City Transportation Official’s (NAC-
to allow businesses to operate in the
TO) Streets for Pandemic Response
right-of-way, free of charge. Through
and Recovery grant program, the
this program, the bureau noticed very
Portland Bureau of Transportation
few applications from the Albina district.
(PBOT) collaborated with Portland’s
PBOT saw the plaza as an opportunity
Soul District Business Association
to work with the Albina community and
build partnerships with local organiza-
Summer Street Plaza in Portland, tions and businesses.
OR. Photo Credit: PBOT.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICACase S tudie s
In designing the space, PBOT worked Select challenges new vendors and partners in the
with businesses adjacent to the space and lessons learned spring when weather improves and
including a local Black artist, the owner PBOT encountered a handful of the COVID-19 vaccine is more wide-
of greenHAUS Gallery, to design the challenges throughout the process, ly available.
plaza’s mural and help program the including concerns from business
space. To create a friendly, welcoming owners about parking access. They For others considering setting up sim-
environment, the plaza was also outfit- addressed the parking access con- ilar plazas, PBOT recommends:
ted with locally-made picnic tables and cerns by providing A-frame signs to
potted trees from the Portland Bureau nearby businesses to notify custom- • Working in partnership with local
of Environmental Services. ers of the street changes. businesses adjacent to the space.
• Building community support by 16
Amid a summer of wildfires and As winter approached and working with the local business as-
protests, the partners worked to- COVID-19 cases began to rise in sociation to conduct the majority
gether to transform a street into a the final months of 2020, increased of neighborhood outreach.
Black-centered public plaza in the uncertainty about how to safely
• Ensuring internal city staff have
heart of Albina. Over a series of continue operating the plaza com-
enough flexibility to provide
weekend events, more than twenty pounded capacity issues in main-
steady, involved technical assis-
vendors participated selling clothes, taining consistent programming.
tance to stakeholders throughout
food, art, and other handmade goods Without consistent plaza promotion
program deployment.
in a safe, physically distant outdoor and foot traffic, some of the adjacent
market. The plaza incorporated businesses grew hesitant to extend
public art by local Black artists and the street plaza permit through the Learn more about PBOT’s Summer
catalyzed a district-wide public art winter as completely car-free space. Street Plaza.
initiative to be designed by a group of Ongoing discussions are underway
nonprofits with their roots in Albina. about how to re-open the plaza with
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICACase S tudie s
PLAN FOR ROADBLOCKS
4 BUT KEEP GOING
Gresham’s future street closures distancing as per federal guidelines. warrant additional designs for wetter,
GRESHAM, OR In June, city staff presented the colder conditions.
concept to elected leaders who pro-
City of Gresham sought to close a posed additional engagement with Due to limited staff resources, includ-
three-block corridor in downtown to business owners along the corridor. ing layoffs due to COVID-19 as well as
support small businesses, however Subsequently, staff coordinated vir- limited availability of business own-
due to a number of challenges the city tual meetings and surveyed business ers to engage in the development of
paused plans and is reevaluating set- owners, investigated how to acquire design options, plans were put on hold 17
ting up a similar space in spring 2021. permits to allow serving alcohol in for street closures and parking space
the public right-of-way, and discussed reprogramming in 2020. Discussions
The approach rerouting buses with the regional with business owners will restart in
Throughout May 2020, City of transit agency. early 2021 with the potential to repur-
Gresham staff developed design op- pose street space in the spring.
tions to close a three-block corridor Select challenges
in the heart of the city’s downtown to and lessons learned For other jurisdictions looking to
support small businesses. The designs As plans were coming together and close or partially close their streets,
included pick-up drop-off areas for there was hope for a pilot implemen- Gresham recommends community
vehicles outside of the closure area, tation, wildfires hit and businesses engagement as a first step as well as
as well as walk-up areas for pedestri- closed due to excessive and un- identifying the best way to support
ans within the closure and outdoor healthy levels of smoke. At that point, community partners with elements
dining areas that supported social it was decided that fall weather would like permits, licenses, and insurance.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
How can we use the STREAMLINE THE OUTDOOR DINING PERMITTING
curb to support 1 PROCESS, SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES, AND
ENSURE ADA ACCESSIBILITY
restaurants in
the midst of a Boston’s outdoor dining program restaurant density, entire curb lanes
pandemic? BOSTON, MA and portions of streets were complete-
ly closed to motor vehicles.
To help mitigate the impact of closing
down a main engine of its service econ- Boston needed to quickly simplify their
omy, the City of Boston quickly re- outdoor dining permitting process so
sponded by streamlining their outdoor it was easy to navigate for interested
18
Provide space for
dining permitting process, providing fi- restaurants, especially smaller restau-
outdoor dining & nancial support to small businesses, and rants. The city launched a cross-de-
food pick-up. creating a new ramp program to ensure partment effort to identify roadblocks
outdoor dining would be accessible. and minimize requirements to focus on
Restaurants, in particular, needed
additional support as city and state safety and access. This process result-
restrictions closed or partially closed The approach ed in the city:
indoor dining to prevent the spread
of COVID-19. Part of the response in- To allow more space for restaurants
cluded cities setting up outside dining to operate, the City of Boston al- Waiving or reducing outdoor
and food priority zones at the curb.
Below are some examples of how the tered their outdoor dining program dining permit requirements. Before
cities set up these programs and what so restaurants could establish par- COVID-19, outdoor dining permits re-
they learned in the process.
klet-style cafes in curb space that was quired review through their Public Im-
traditionally reserved for parking. In provement Commission, which includ-
instances where there was significant ed surveyed and engineered design
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
drawings, a public hearing, multi-de- rections for how to establish their cafe
partmental permitting, and fees. The zone were provided, leaving it up to
majority of these requirements were them to implement the change rather
either waived or reduced, and the than taxing city services.
review and approval process was expe-
dited to take a matter of weeks, rather Ensuring accessibility for all users is
than months. a priority for the City of Boston and a
primary reason why the city required
Expediting design and implementa- all on-street cafes to be fully ADA-com-
tion. Typically changes to the curb go pliant. While decking can be built to be
through several divisions within the flush with the curb, placing seating on 19
Boston Transportation Department the street poses an access challenge.
(BTD), including planning, engineering, Restaurants were required to pro-
and operations. While all important and vide portable ADA ramps that would
often necessary steps, this process can be deployed by request. To support
take several weeks to months. With restaurants in this and other costs, the
more than 400 outdoor dining re- city launched a ramp program that put
quests BTD needed to be flexible. The $200,000 into purchasing and dis-
planning division was given authority tributing access ramps, and set aside a
to make decisions about curb chang- portion of the Reopen Boston Fund for
es, and when needed, changes were the purchase of other materials.
submitted directly to the operations
Adding a ramp to an outdoor division. Additionally, restaurants were Stakeholders involved in Boston’s out-
dining space in Boston, MA.
Photo credit: Boston Mayor’s tasked with taking on some of the work door dining effort included restaurants,
Office, photo by John Wilcox. themselves. Signage materials and di- neighborhood residents, business
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
associations, patrons, and internal city For other cities considering similar ac-
partners from Licensing, Transporta- tion, Boston offers the following reflec-
tion, Public Works, Fire Department, tions and suggestions:
Disabilities Commission, Office of
Economic Development, Office of • The outdoor dining streamlining
Neighborhood Services, Inspectional process revealed that some of the
Division, Boston Police, Neighborhood permitting requirements the City
Main Streets, and the Mayor’s Office. had in place should be revisited for
post-pandemic implementation
Select challenges modifications.
and lessons learned • Alongside outdoor dining, there is 20
Through this process, Boston learned a need to continue and accommo-
that providing restaurants with flex- date other curb activity, such as
ibility to establish a cafe in the street commercial loading, food takeout
sped up the process and relieved pres- and delivery, and passenger loading.
sure on some city services, however Locations with a concentration of
the cafes weren’t always up to safety restaurants should be approached
standards. For the 2021 outdoor din- with a plan for the entire area to
ing pilot program, the City established address that activity.
stricter safety requirements and used
examples from 2020 to provide clarity. Learn more about Boston’s outdoor
dining program.
Outdoor dining in Boston, MA.
Photo credit: City of Boston.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
SET CLEAR GUIDELINES AND WORK
2 CLOSELY WITH YOUR PERMIT APPLICANTS
DC Streatery program DDOT was very intentional about de-
WASHINGTON, DC veloping guidelines that would accom-
modate and address the wide variety
The District Department of Transpor-
of public space types eligible as part of
tation (DDOT) set up a program, which
the program, which included sidewalks,
allows restaurants, business improve-
on-street parking spaces, travel lanes,
ment districts (BIDs), main street
alleys, and plazas. Washington, DC
organizations (MSOs), and advisory 21
has many neighborhoods with varying
neighborhood commissions (ANCs)
sidewalk widths and parking needs, so
to temporarily transform public space
the guidelines needed to be specific
during the public health emergency.
but broad enough to meet the needs
of each neighborhood and commercial
The approach
corridor. You can view those guidelines
To help mitigate restaurants’ significant
here and here.
loss of potential revenue from reduced
capacity, Washington, DC’s city council
During implementation, DDOT’s part-
drafted legislation to allow restaurants
ners included the Department of Public
to expand dining into public space.
Works, advisory neighborhood com-
missions, BIDs, MSOs, and stakehold-
Outdoor dining in Washington,
ers including local restaurant owners
DC. Photo Credit: DDOT. and employees. DDOT also worked
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
with the Office of Planning, DC Health, able to submit a complete and accurate
the Alcohol Beverage Regulation Ad- application. By prioritizing this, DDOT
ministration, and the Department of ensured that the review process was
Small & Local Business Development. smooth and timely for many applicants.
For example, completed permits could
Select challenges be approved within 72 hours, allowing a
and lessons learned quick transformation of public space to
For other cities considering similar outdoor dining.
initiatives, DDOT recommends work-
ing closely with applicants to ensure Learn more about the
they understand the guidelines and are DC Streatery program. 22
Outdoor dining in Washington,
DC. Photo Credit: DDOT.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
How can we use At the beginning of the pandemic, ty-based organizations and advocates
many local governments quickly real- questioned if these pilots were being
the curb to ensure ized that there wasn’t enough public equitably placed, ensuring that people
people have space space for city residents to safely get of all races, especially Black and Brown
outside, exercise, and move around residents, felt safe in those spaces; and
to safely move, their community. To support so- if they were actually helping people
exercise, and cial distancing and physical activity, access essential resources.1
access essential improve quality of life, and reduce
overcrowding on trails, parks, and Below are some examples of how cit-
places during a sidewalks during the pandemic, some ies set up these programs, responded
pandemic? cities partially or fully closed certain to feedback, and what they learned in
23
segments of streets to motor vehicles. the process.
These street closures have been called
“Slow Streets,” “Healthy Streets,” and
Repurpose street “Open Streets.”
and curb space for After some slow streets were launched
slow streets. in cities across the country, communi-
Street closure in Ann Arbor, MI
as part of its Healthy Streets
initiative. Photo credit: City of
Ann Arbor.
1 https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ITE/ITE_
July2020/index.php#/p/20
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
USE FEEDBACK TO CREATE AN
1 EQUITABLE SLOW STREETS PROGRAM
Oakland Slow Streets in response to COVID-19. In the first
& Essential Places phase of the program, they closed 20
OAKLAND, CA miles of roads to provide more space
for residents. The city then paused and
After closing 20 miles of street space set out to evaluate the program thus
in the first phase of the Oakland Slow far and gather feedback from resi-
Streets (OSS) initiative, the City of Oak- dents across Oakland.
24
land checked in with their community
to gather feedback. They specifically Select challenges
worked closely with advocates and and lessons learned
residents to ensure the feedback was The city quickly realized that the feed-
representative of all Oakland residents, back was not representative of Oak-
not just wealthier, White residents. The land: over 60 percent of respondents
city used that feedback to inform fu- were White, although White residents
ture iterations of the program. make up only 24 percent of the popu-
lation. Further, 40 percent of respon-
The approach dents had annual household incomes of
The City of Oakland was one of the $150,000, whereas the annual house-
first cities to implement slow streets hold income in Oakland is $76,000.2 To
Signage created as part of
Oakland’s Arts & Transportation
Rapid Response project. Photo
credit: Kahlim Davis. 2 https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/how-covid-19-inspired-oakland-to-get-real-about-equitable-urban-planning
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICACase S tudie s
remedy this imbalance, the city worked services in their neighborhood—in- Recognizing
closely with advocates and residents in cluding grocery stores, food distri- unrepresentative
East Oakland—a historically Black com- bution sites in public facilities, and
feedback and using it
munity that has undergone decades of COVID-19 test sites.”3
to inform future Slow
disinvestment—who shared that the
Slow Streets program wasn’t meeting
• Working with an artist and Smart
Streets iterations
Growth America as part of the Arts
their needs, nor was it helping them & Transportation Rapid Response
access essential services. The city used initiative to pilot a solution for more SFMTA’s Slow Streets
this feedback to inform the next itera- aesthetically pleasing, sturdy Oak- SAN FRANCISCO, CA
tion of the program which included: land Slow Streets barricades that Similar to the City of Oakland’s
experience with unrepresentative 25
• Launching an offshoot of OSS, Slow better reflect East Oakland culture. feedback, San Francisco Municipal
Transportation Agency (SFMTA)
Streets: Essential Places, where realized its online feedback process
they installed a number of “perma- Learn more about Slow Streets: for its own Slow Streets program
Essential Places program and fell short of equally reaching all
nent and temporary traffic safety
San Franciscans. As they entered
improvements to enable safer Oakland’s Arts & Transportation phase four of the program, SFMTA
Rapid Response project. focused its efforts on coordinating
access for residents to the essential
with neighborhoods that didn’t
provide feedback and working with
3 https://www.oaklandca.gov/news/2020/6-4-2020-slow-streets-essential-places-expands-to-new-east-oakland- neighborhood groups in those areas
west-oakland-locations to identify areas where slow streets
could work.
Learn more about the SFMTA’s Slow
Streets program.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
FOLLOW THROUGH ON THE TEMPORARY
2 NATURE OF A SLOW STREETS PILOT
Bellevue Healthy Streets options for future deployments, and
BELLEVUE, WA ensure that community members can
inform and shape future iterations
The City of Bellevue created a slow
of the program—something Bellevue
streets pilot, called Healthy Streets, to
wasn’t able to do when it first launched
allow for safe physical distancing on
the program back in May 2020 due to
neighborhood streets. Unlike other
the urgency of providing residents with
pilots, the city followed through on the 26
street space.
temporary nature of the pilot by ending
it in October 2020 and completing a
Bellevue is exploring the following op-
post-pilot evaluation.
tions for a future deployment:
The approach
Street closure as part of
• Launch a similar Healthy Streets Ini-
Bellevue created a slow streets pilot
the Healthy Streets pilot in tiative in spring or summer of 2021.
Bellevue, WA. in order to provide additional space
Photo credit: City of Bellevue. for people to exercise and move on • Create a seasonal program that
neighborhood streets. Bellevue fol- transforms certain street segments
lowed the temporary nature of pilots into recreational space. These are
by ending the program in October often referred to as “Play Streets.”
2020. This gave the city time to fully • Pilot neighborhood greenways us-
analyze the program’s impact, outline ing low-cost materials.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICACase S tudie s
Select challenges tunity to participate in the develop- key lesson for Bellevue staff from the
and lessons learned ment of the pilot. However, feedback pilot was that residents would like to
Like other cities, in order to quickly received after implementation was be engaged in the development of the
launch the pilot and rapidly respond mixed depending on the corridor. program’s vision, selection of corri-
to the pandemic, Bellevue’s staff went While one Healthy Street location dors, and design of their home streets.
forward without first collecting pub- ended early due to negative feedback,
lic input and internally determined another corridor—which received Learn more about Bellevue’s Healthy
locations for the pilot. Naturally, some positive feedback—is now moving into Streets pilot.
community members expressed frus- a design phase to establish the city’s
tration that there was not an oppor- first neighborhood greenway. One
27
USE A MULTI-PRONG APPROACH TO SLOW STREETS
3 THAT RESPONDS TO LOCAL CONTEXT
Ann Arbor Healthy Streets The approach projects and city goals outlined in its
ANN ARBOR, MI The goal of the Healthy Streets pro- Vision Zero policy, carbon-neutrality
gram was to immediately improve plan, and non-motorized plan.
The City of Ann Arbor, in partnership safety, access, and comfort, and pro-
with the Downtown Development Au- vide more physical distancing space Instead of fully closing streets to
thority, launched the Healthy Streets for people in the city. From the begin- motor vehicles, the city took a softer,
program which reconfigured traffic ning, Ann Arbor also considered the multi-faceted approach. That ap-
lanes to provide additional dedicated program as an opportunity to collect proach included:
space for walking, rolling, and biking. findings that could inform future
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
• Soft closures on local neighbor- businesses to do this and also pro-
hood streets suggested by resi- vided funding to the Arts Alliance
dents. To do this, the city launched to hire four artists, who were paid a
an online portal for residents to living wage, to set up temporary art
provide feedback at the beginning installations in these spaces.
of the pandemic. They received
nearly a thousand comments which Select challenges
slowed deployment but ultimately and lessons learned
helped justify the project.
For other cities looking to do something
• Arterial road reconfigurations similar, Ann Arbor offers the following
A Healthy Streets to provide additional dedicated recommendations and reflections: 28
corridor in Ann Arbor,
MI. Photo credit: City
space for walking, rolling, and
of Ann Arbor. biking. This was the most challeng- • Move as quickly as possible during
ing part of the program as the city implementation. Ann Arbor staff
received considerable resistance believe they took too long with their
Learn more about Ann Arbor’s from motorists—so much so that deployments, leading to a number
Healthy Streets program.
the city council rolled back portions of complaints from residents that
of the deployment after only three the effort “was no longer needed”
weeks of a 90 day pilot. or that these projects “were causing
• Weekend road closures in down- traffic back-ups.”
town Ann Arbor to support busi- • Cones, barrels, and barricades were
nesses and provide additional not as effective as expected as they
space for people walking and were frequently moved and re-
biking. The city worked closely with quired constant maintenance.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
How can we adapt REVAMPING A PILOT TO RESPOND TO COVID-19
curb-related 1 AND THE MURDER OF GEORGE FLOYD
initiatives to better
Minneapolis Mobility Hub pilot safe, convenient, and reliable as possible.
respond to current MINNEAPOLIS, MN The locations are selected based on an
community equity-driven data analysis, as originally
In response to COVID-19 and uprisings
the pilot sought to improve access and
needs during a following the murder of George Floyd,
support first-and-last mile connections
pandemic? Minneapolis worked with community
to transit primarily in Areas of Concen-
partners to revamp their 2019 Mobility
trated Poverty (ACP50)4. In early 2020,
Hub pilot by increasing the number of 29
the city redefined the pilot goal to re-
pilot locations, adding new elements,
spond to COVID-19 and the protests
Work with the and installing intersection safety im-
following the killing of George Floyd—
community to provements.
which had further exacerbated inequi-
redesign curb- The approach
ties in the ACP50 areas. Specifically, the
Minneapolis’ public works department
related initiatives. Minneapolis’ Mobility Hubs utilize the
expanded its 2019 Mobility Hub pilot by
city’s curb and public right-of-way space
When COVID-19 hit, cities had to increasing the number of pilot locations,
both respond to immediate needs to connect people to multiple modes of
adding new elements, and installing
and either postpone, adapt, or can- transportation and make their trips as
cel planned initiatives. Below are intersection safety improvements.
some examples of how cities adapted
curb-related initiatives, worked with
4 ACP 50: The Metropolitan Council defines Areas of Concentrated Poverty (ACPs) as census tracts where 40 percent
communities to do so, and what they or more of the residents have family or individual incomes that are less than 185 percent of the federal poverty
learned in the process. threshold. (In 2018, 185 percent of the federal poverty threshold was $47,547 for a family of four or $23,650 for an
individual living alone.) To identify areas where people of color experience the most exposure to concentrated pover-
ty, the Council further differentiates Areas of Concentrated Poverty where 50 percent or more of the residents are
people of color (ACP50s).
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
The city worked closely with neighbor- businesses, and community members.
hood and community organizations on
the pilot’s engagement plan. Minneap- Select challenges
olis wanted to ensure residents that and lessons learned
it was not only seeking feedback from In the beginning, Minneapolis had to
the community, but actively providing spend considerable time obtaining the
a platform to partner with people in necessary approvals and permits within
the neighborhoods where these pilots its own public works department and
would occur. Through this engagement, other jurisdictions, as many of the Mo-
city staff learned that people felt un- bility Hubs are located on or adjacent
safe—both in terms of personal safety to state and county right-of-way and 30
and infrastructure-related safety—and lots, which slowed down the timeline
that they wanted to see alternatives to for deployment.
policing. From this feedback, the city
created a new ambassador program The city has also heard from a select
Mobility hub in Minneapolis, MN.
which employed part-time ambas- number of businesses and property
Photo credit: City of Minneapolis.
sadors to test community-based ap- owners who view some of the Mobility
proaches to safety at the hubs. Hub elements, like seating, as a nui-
sance and an invitation for “undesired
Stakeholders included public agencies activity” which has led to the city wres-
and service providers, such as the State tling with what is public space, who it is
of Minnesota, Hennepin County, pub- for, and what it should look like.
lic transit providers, library services,
community based organizations, shared Learn more about Minneapolis’
mobility providers, property owners, Mobility Hubs.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
TRANSFORM THE CURB INTO A TEMPORARY
2 COVID-19 TESTING SITE WITH A REPURPOSED
MICROTRANSIT VEHICLE
Gainesville’s mobile Paramedicine (CRP) team, who shared
COVID-19 testing the following reflections:
GAINESVILLE, FL • It was challenging to ensure people
remained distanced and that the bus
The City of Gainesville, FL repurposed remained adequately cleaned. To
a microtransit vehicle and used it to assist with this, CRP team set up two
31
conduct mobile COVID-19 testing testing stations, one in the front seat
across its city. The vehicle was parked of the bus and another at the back of
at the curb, in parking lots and fields, the bus using a foldable chair on the
and sometimes in the middle of the ground; which also helped preserve
street. When selecting neighborhoods unidirectional airflow.
to visit and receive testing, Gainesville • Communicating the opportunity to
specifically prioritized neighborhoods residents was the biggest obstacle
that had more limited access to person- the CRP team faced. They hope
al vehicles. to partner with medical and com-
munity based organizations to do
The testing was administered by something similar in the future for
the city’s Community Resource COVID-19 vaccines.
Gainesville’s mobile COVID-19
testing unit. Photo Credit: City
of Gainesville, FL.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
How can we use USE TRANSIT-ONLY LANES
street space to 1 TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH
keep essential
SFMTA’s Temporary costs of traffic congestion.”5 By devot-
workers and Emergency Transit Lanes ing lanes solely for buses, SFMTA re-
transit-dependent SAN FRANCISCO, CA duced the amount of time buses spend
in traffic, protecting public health by
people safe during
San Francisco Municipal Transportation reducing riders’ travel time and hence
the pandemic? Agency (SFMTA) installed temporary their potential exposure to COVID-19.
emergency transit lanes to keep buses The transit lanes also allow buses to
32
out of traffic and keep essential work- complete their routes more quickly, en-
ers and transit-dependent San Francis- abling SFMTA to provide more service
Set up transit lanes cans as safe as possible. with the same number of buses and
to improve transit reduce crowding.
The approach
efficiency.
As traffic started to slowly return after Moreover, based on ridership and
A few months into the COVID-19 the initial lockdown in San Francisco, travel time data, SFMTA says this pro-
pandemic, cities started to see traffic
return to their streets. To ensure SFMTA made the decision to set up gram “benefit[s] customers on [bus]
essential workers and people using temporary transit lanes to ensure “that routes critical to neighborhoods with
transit would not shoulder the burden
of congestion, cities started setting essential workers and transit-depen- high percentages of people of color and
up—or adapting—transit lanes to dent San Franciscans do not bear the low-income households.”6
improve efficiency and safety. Below
are some examples of how cities
implemented transit lanes and what
they learned in the process. 5, 6 https://www.sfmta.com/projects/temporary-emergency-transit-lanes
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
Select challenges Through this process, SFMTA found
and lessons learned that the highly data-driven nature of
One of the greatest challenges SFMTA the program (which considers frequen-
faced with implementing the transit cy, crowding, and safety) has helped
lanes was the availability of its city SFMTA to gain broader support. Staff
crews to implement a program of this have been able to share transit lane
size in such a short time frame. Orig- proposals with different elected of-
inally it had planned to build up to 70 ficials to gauge interest, and refocus
miles of temporary emergency transit energy and resources appropriately.
lanes, however due to capacity, SFMTA
predicts that it is likely the pandemic The temporary nature of the program 33
will be under control before they are has also made it more palatable to
able to reach 70 miles. Consequently, quickly implement. With the assurance
SFMTA pivoted to focus their efforts that a future approval would be needed
on key corridors that it hopes to perma- to make the lanes permanent, commu-
nently keep after the pandemic. If time nity members have been more open to
allows and there is political support, trying out the lanes with a shortened
SFMTA may continue to expand to ad- outreach process. SFMTA hopes to
ditional corridors. use more of this quick build, reversible
approach in the future.
Bus picking up riders in San Learn more about SFMTA’s Temporary
Fransisco, CA (top) and map
of approved and proposed Emergency Transit Lanes.
temporary transit lanes (bottom).
Photo credit: SFMTA.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAC a se St udi e s
CONVERT TRAVEL LANES TO BUS-BIKE LANES
2 TO IMPROVE TRANSIT EFFICIENCY AND SAFETY
FOR PEOPLE BIKING
Brighton Avenue bus-bike lane To address this issue, the city trans-
Learn more about Boston’s BOSTON, MA formed one travel lane into a bus-bike
Brighton Avenue bus-bike lane.
lane, consolidated bus stops, and con-
In 2019, the City of Boston, in partner- verted the stops that were removed
ship with Massachusetts Bay Trans- into commercial loading during the day
portation Authority, transformed one time and passenger pick-up drop-off in
34
travel lane on Brighton Avenue in the the evening and night.
Allston neighborhood into a bus-bike
lane to improve transit efficiency and In 2020, as part of Boston’s COVID-19
the safety of people biking. response, additional curb space was
converted from two hour parking into a
Located in a bustling neighborhood five-minute food takeout zone. As a result
with a number of restaurants, retail, of the transformation, bus timing through
and entertainment venues, Brighton the corridor has improved dramatically
Avenue had two travel lanes and park- and the instances of double parking have
ing lanes in each direction, and also been reduced. The next phase of the proj-
served as a major bus corridor, which ect is to install bus bump outs, analyze
caused buses to be consistently de- how well the short term curb access has
layed due to traffic and frequent inci- worked, and propose the area for meter-
dences of double parking. ing to increase vehicle turnover.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAPo licy Id e a s
Local, state, federal policy
ideas to guide the future of
curbside management
The curb is public space and a public asset; and as
Part 2 such, it should be utilized to the greatest benefit of
the public. The COVID-19 pandemic has only made
this more apparent as curb space has been needed
IDEAS TO GUIDE for safe recreation, retail, restaurants, and more. To 35
ensure that curb space can be used efficiently and
equitably now and in the future, it is the responsibil-
CURBSIDE ity of local governments to set priorities with regard
to who can use the limited amount of curb space, for
what, when, and at what cost.
MANAGEMENT The ideas presented in this section are not examples
of pilots or initiatives but, rather, ideas and lessons
POLICY offered by city curbside practitioners who partici-
pated in the 2020 Smart Cities Collaborative. This
section is intended to provide informal guidance to
local, state, and federal government agencies seek-
ing to create an equitable, flexible, and innovative
curb beyond COVID-19.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAPo licy Id e a s
Local Curbside
Policy Ideas
This section is Allocate the curb equitably For decades, the curb has been over-
organized as 1 To ensure that curb space serves all
users fairly, especially the most vul-
whelmingly dedicated to storage for
personal vehicles. This excludes people
follows: nerable road users, cities should build that have no access to a car and that
equity into their curbside policy and need or want to travel by other means.
Local curbside policy curbside management programs. With- By reallocating the curb space for other
ideas to: out that lens, certain users (such as modes and additional purposes, cities 36
1. Allocate the curb people who do not own, cannot afford, can ensure the curb serves everyone—
equitably choose not to, or are unable to drive especially those who need better and
2. Improve curb flexibility cars) will continue to be left behind and more affordable access to curbs. This
3. Make the curb a place of convenient private vehicle parking will includes people with disabilities; people
innovation and piloting usurp all other needs. using transit; those walking, biking, or
rolling; low-income people; people of col-
State and federal curbside Whether intentional or not, the way or; and those not connected to the digital
policy ideas cities allocate their curb space directly network. Below are some ideas on how
reflects who and what is prioritized in to equitably allocate the curb.
their city. This can and should change
depending on the geographic context Prioritize curb and street space for
within a city, as different neighbor- transit. Part of equitably allocating curb
hoods have different needs. space means prioritizing space for tran-
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAP olicy I d e a s
sit. Transit uses space more efficiently people of color, especially Black and a smartphone, data plans that allow
than cars, is better for our climate, and Brown people. While curbside man- liberal use of apps, or a credit card for
provides access to those who may not agement is typically not enforced by payment. Moreover, clear curb signage
have a personal vehicle. By prioritizing police departments, enforcing rules and wayfinding reduces the need for
space for transit, cities can improve the like parking requirements is part of enforcement and ticketing.
riders’ travel time, ride quality, trans- a city’s larger enforcement effort.
portation affordability, and safety while It is crucial for cities to examine the Utilize the curb to incentivize more
waiting for transit; address broader impact of their curb enforcement and more just economic develop-
transportation inequities; and achieve and explore alternatives that ensure ment. As e-commerce grows and app-
emissions reduction goals. all curb users, especially Black and based ride hailing recovers from the
Brown users, are treated with dignity pandemic, good curbside management 37
Prioritize curb and street space for and respect at the curb. practices can incentivize economic
vulnerable road users. Similar to tran- recovery and growth. This helps en-
sit, part of equitably allocating curb Ensure curb signage is understand- sure that curb operations, including
space means prioritizing space and able and accessible. Curb signs and signage, timing, usage, access and cost,
curb resources for vulnerable road us- curb use information should be simple assist to incentivize the behavior at
ers including those walking, rolling, or and understandable, utilizing symbols the curb that cities want to see. For
biking; people with disabilities; low-in- or color-coding when possible and example, cities could raise the cost of
come people; and people of color. providing translations when appropri- unloading and loading freight during
ate. Cities should avoid confusing and peak commute hours to disincentivize
Address inequitable enforcement at complex restrictions for loading zones use of the curb for that purpose during
the curb. There is no shortage of re- and curb use. Cities should also pro- those hours, therefore providing great-
search showing that law enforcement vide multiple ways to pay for metered er access and economic development
disproportionately harms and targets parking, as individuals may not have opportunities for nearby businesses.
TRANSPORTATION FOR AME RICAYou can also read
