We often experience streets from behind the wheel—as potholes, traffic jams, accidents, and sudden jolts to accommodate wayward travelers. But a historic focus on streets as “transportation corridors” has often come at the expense of the pedestrian. While our streets grew wider, crosswalk timers got shorter. “Complete Streets” were the first answer to this problem, designed to enhance the safety and experience of all users of the road, and of all ages and abilities. But while designing streets with an eye to the pedestrian was a good first step, these streets often fell short of the maximum benefit they could provide if they were further designed to help our environment. Enter sustainable Streets: the next evolution of the complete street.
Did you know streets and roads are a major part of delivering stormwater (and the pollution it carries) from our communities into local waters, including the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean? Sustainable Streets provide safe mobility and access to all users with the added benefit of Green Infrastructure, which collects and cleans runoff at its source, reduces flooding, and protects our creeks, the Bay, and Ocean from runoff pollution. Of course, greening streets also adds to the quality and comfort of our urban habitats and supports a more resilient future for our communities as we face unpredictable weather related to climate change.
See the transformation of a normal street to a complete street, and finally to a sustainable street, in the below illustrations.
Standard Street:
Complete Street:
Sustainable Streets:
Recent vulnerability assessments have shown that we, in San Mateo County, are among the most likely communities to be affected by sea level rise impacts related to climate change in California. With this in mind, and with greater attention toward creating healthier and safer places to live in our county, the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County is developing a Sustainable Streets Master Plan (SSMP). The plan seeks to engage the San Mateo community to plan for and prioritize street improvements that will provide water quality, flood reduction, and community benefits throughout the county in the face of the changing climate. Want an example of what this might look like? Cities around the County have already experimented with Green Infrastructure as part of the movement towards Sustainable Streets—check out these efforts in San Bruno and Burlingame.
While the Countywide Water Pollution Prevention Program is spearheading this effort, the SSMP is not a document, it’s a process. We’re on our way to building Sustainable Streets in San Mateo County, but we want your feedback! Help us reimagine your neighborhood streets to include trees, sidewalk plantings, bioswales, intersection enhancements, flood control measures, and other street features that will create more vibrant communities in San Mateo!
Check out more information about our Sustainable Streets Master Plan and make sure to email us your thoughts at info@flowstobay.org.
