Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Shared Space

A rendering of a redesigned Peachtree Street that gives pedestrians free roam. Image: Atlanta City Studio

Atlanta May Convert Main Drag into a Dutch ‘Woonerf’

By Angie Schmitt | May 1, 2019 | 4 Comments

A "shared street" — a concept imported from Europe — does away with curbs and gives pedestrians the priority. Atlanta is considering the design for its famous Peachtree Street.

Study: “Shared Space” Slows Drivers While Letting Traffic Move Efficiently

By Angie Schmitt | Feb 8, 2016 | 16 Comments

The idea behind “shared space” street design is that less can be more. By ditching signage, traffic lights, and the grade separation between sidewalk and roadbed, the shared space approach calms traffic and heightens communication between drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Instead of following traffic signals on auto-pilot or speeding up to beat the light, motorists have to pay attention […]

Shared Space: The Case for a Little Healthy Chaos on City Streets

By Dick van Veen | Nov 17, 2014 | 33 Comments

Dick van Veen is a Dutch architect and engineer at consultancy company Mobycon. This post originally appeared on the blog of The Green Lane Project, a PeopleForBikes program that helps U.S. cities build better bike lanes to create low-stress streets. Imagine yourself in a small town enjoying a coffee next to what looks like a public […]

A 12-Block Shared Space Neighborhood Rises Along the Potomac

By Payton Chung | Jul 14, 2014 | 7 Comments

Earlier this month, Streetsblog went on a streak about “shared space” — the idea that some streets can work better when, instead of using curbs and traffic signals to separate users, pedestrians get priority using subtle but effective visual cues. We interviewed a key shared space messenger, Ben Hamilton-Baillie; we showed off built examples in Pittsburgh and Batavia, Illinois; and we […]

Talking Shared Space With Ben Hamilton-Baillie

By Payton Chung | Jul 3, 2014 | 7 Comments

“Recovering architect” and street design expert Ben Hamilton-Baillie launched a broadside against the rules of traffic engineering during a plenary speech to the Congress for the New Urbanism’s recent annual meeting in Buffalo. Baillie urges widespread adoption of “shared space” — a design concept popularized by Hans Monderman over the past generation in the Netherlands that has […]