Assessing the State of Practice of the Role and Siting Issues Related to Curbless Streets in an Urban Context

The conventional streets of major cities are often designed with rights-of-way that are channelized with physical delineation for different modes. Shared, or curbless, streets represent a new approach to using the public right-of-way where physical edges and sometimes demarcations are removed. All modes share space and negotiate movement through interaction. Various cities have deployed curbless streets in different ways, for different reasons, and with different outcomes. This paper examines curbless street design as a concept and as an opportunity for cities. The effect of curbless street design on surrounding communities’ safety, quality of life, economic vitality, and mobility is addressed through peer city case studies and literature reviews. The peer city project data inform best practices for implementing curbless street design concepts and identify supportive traits and characteristics common to successful projects. On the basis of these findings, siting strategies and opportunities are presented for consideration in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This paper assesses the state of research and practice with respect to curbless streets to build a shared knowledge base from which curbless streets can be sited.