Curb space is where movement meets access. However, this valuable and flexible public space is not always optimized for its highest and best use. Curb space can be used not only as car parking and loading, but also as the front stoop, sidewalk café, transit hub, freight delivery zone, taxi stand, rain garden, or trash collection area. It serves many purposes throughout the day and makes possible the exchanges and interactions that occur on great streets. Curb space has historically been a reliable revenue source for municipalities through parking fees, and a key indicator for real estate and retail value. The curb space is usually contested; reassigning curb space for new purposes is often politically fraught, in part because use of the curb is competitive and viewed as zero-sum.
In support of the key challenges and opportunities for cities in this technical realm, ITE’s new Curbside Management Practitioners’ Guide provides guidance on best practices for curb space allocation policy and implementation based primarily upon the outcomes of tested strategies. It presents a framework and toolbox for analyzing and optimizing curb space in this time of change with the aim of prioritizing and maximizing community values and safety. The goal is to provide practitioners the tools and reference material needed to make decisions pertaining to the allocation of curb space. This includes planning and implementation considerations for curbside management or sharing, policy development, prioritization, available tools and treatments, and evaluation metrics. The tools applied must match the policy goals; the policy decision about which curb uses to prioritize is almost always more important than the tool or technology used to implement it.
This webinar will introduce the new guide and present several case studies of cities with active curb space management policies, programs, and/or design efforts.