INTRODUCTION
TO THE URBAN STREET SYMPOSIA
The
Urban Street Symposia bring together planners, engineers, and other people with
diverse and sometimes opposing perspectives and backgrounds related to a broad
range of city street planning and design issues. The Symposia address the planning and design
of urban streets from the perspectives of motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists,
the disabled, transit users, and the greater community. The Urban Street Symposium objectives follow.
• Provide
a forum for comparison and debate of alternative urban street design practices.
• Highlight
problems caused by certain design practices, and better alternatives.
• Promote
applications of research.
• Reconsider
long-held urban street design practices in light of the “new urbanism”
movement.
• Document
better urban street design practices.
• Show
"how to do it".
• Share
innovations with others.
• Transfer
urban street research findings to state agencies and to local governments.
The Symposia provide a forum to
exchange information, better understand and appreciate different views, and
work toward common objectives. The scope
is confined to city (of any size - “downtown, uptown, or small town”) streets,
excluding freeways.
BRIEF
HISTORY
Approximately
175 persons attended the initial Urban Street Symposium, held June 28-30, 1999,
in
The
majority of a Symposium is devoted to presenting papers. Each paper session usually consists of three
to five papers addressing a theme related to street planning or design. Other activities have included workshops,
site tours, poster session, and a “pro vs. con” debate on Smart Growth.
a list of origins of attendees at
the 2nd Urban Street Symposium (USS2) follows
2nd Urban Street
Symposium (2003) attendance by location (source: TRB staff records)
UNITED STATES
Dist of