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Goals and Objectives for Streets <br />That Enhance Community Livability <br />Street design afFects the character and form of the city and its neighborhoods <br />The design of a city's streets has, for better or worse, <br />a significant effect on community livability. Streets <br />typically occupy from 25 - 35% of the usable land in <br />any given city. More than any other single element of <br />the urban infrastructure, streets determine the <br />physical form and the character of the city and its <br />neighborhoods. They are an ever-present, and ever- <br />necessary element in city building and city design. <br />Street design has a direct influence on many factors <br />that, collectively, help define our sense of livability. <br />Street design influences how well the transportation <br />system works and has an immediate effect on eco- <br />nomic vitality; on the time it takes to get from here to <br />there; and on the cost of travel and distribution of <br />goods. Street design can affect our personal safety and <br />security, as well as our level of convenience, effi- <br />ciency, comfort and welcome in using the street. It <br />can influence the speed of traffic, the amount of air <br />pollution generated by vehicles, and the noise levels <br />experienced in adjacent homes and businesses. Street <br />design can influence the behavior of drivers causing <br />them to drive either faster or slower, and with either <br />greater abandon or more alertness and caution. Street <br />design influences our choice of travel mode -either <br />restricting or expanding our ability to walk, use a bicycle, <br />or take the bus for personal trips. Street design affects our <br />heart rate, blood pressure and overall stress levels, and <br />increases or decreases our perception of travel time (ugly <br />and poorly designed streets increase our perception of <br />travel lengthened time). All of these things, and more, are <br />affected by the design of our streets. <br />America is a mobile nation, and mobility -the <br />ability and freedom to move about - is a central and <br />cherished value of American culture. In Eugene, as <br />in most cities, local mobility is achieved through <br />travel on the public streets. The Arterial and Collec- <br />tor Street Plan is intended to result in the design and <br />construction of streets that enhance, rather than <br />detract from community livability. <br />The following goals for the design of major public <br />streets support a livable Eugene. <br />21 <br />