Challenge

In Phoenix, AZ, the roadways are traditionally designed with a focus on single-occupancy vehicles. The City of Phoenix has a vision to shift this priority of moving cars to one that moves people. To realize this vision, the City looked to develop a guide for creating complete, connected, multimodal, and equitable roadway networks.

Solution

Kittelson was part of a project team working with the City to create the Key Corridors Master Plan (KCMP). The KCMP takes the initiative in changing the way the City looks at its transportation and the needs of the people who use it. Through the KCMP, our team developed the following strategies to create a blueprint for future transportation plans:

Complete Transportation Networks and Modal Priorities: Not every street has the capacity or demand to serve every transportation mode. Our project team developed a layered system that assigns travel modes to different corridors that create reliable networks.

Key Corridor Network:  We identified strategic corridors that serve as vital links throughout the city, as well as evaluated these corridors’ infrastructure needs.

Socioeconomic Equity Model & Health Impact Assessment:  Using a socioeconomic equity model and Health Impact Assessment (HIA), our team identified areas where population groups have high rates of chronic health concerns and high disparities in access to active transportation. To encourage multimodal travel, and physical activity, we developed complete pedestrian and bicycle transportation networks that provide much needed connections and access to these vulnerable population groups.

Place Type Designation: The team defined street contexts to help identify which type of amenities are needed and how streets should transition safely between types.

Street Typologies: The current “one-size-fits-most” street design makes it difficult to accommodate all modes safely. We came up with typologies to create a balance between functional classification, adjacent land use, and competing travel needs and uses.

Safety Solutions Toolbox: As Phoenix has one of the highest pedestrian and bicycle crash rates in the United States, safety was an important piece of this project. Our team prepared a safety analysis and strategies report to reveal systemic safety issues and develop a list of countermeasures.

Our project team worked with stakeholders throughout the process to help smooth their transition to this new street design approach.