{"id":9925,"date":"2017-04-27T08:00:28","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T15:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/ecologue\/?p=9925"},"modified":"2017-04-26T12:05:47","modified_gmt":"2017-04-26T19:05:47","slug":"slow-streets-sustainable-way-reduce-car-usage-create-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/ecologue\/2017\/04\/27\/slow-streets-sustainable-way-reduce-car-usage-create-community\/","title":{"rendered":"Slow Streets: The Sustainable Way to Reduce Car Usage and Create Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by\u00a0Nolan Rogers,\u00a0SSI<\/a>\u00a0Sustainable Landscapes Intern<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Conventional street design in most American cities is currently focused on getting cars from point A to B, with little concern for other uses. This often results in high speed corridors connecting parking lots, with nonexistent or unused sidewalks, and unsafe conditions for bicyclists. Designing cities in this way discourages alternative forms of transportation, ultimately reducing community interactions, limiting the time individuals spend in commercial areas, and decreasing equality by making some areas inaccessible to those who cannot afford, or choose not to own cars. The Slow Streets design group out of Vancouver, Canada argues that prioritizing <\/span>slower speed transportation<\/b> is not only \u201cbetter for cities\u201d but can \u201cyield a greater return on investment from taxpayers and municipalities\u201d. This belief has been gaining traction in many of the world\u2019s cities, including several in the Pacific Northwest. The City of Eugene\u2019s Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan notes the following expected benefits of designing transportation corridors for slower speed uses:<\/span><\/p>\n