Mulry Square, NYC. PPS worked with NYC DOT to experiment and then implement bump-outs and new crosswalks.

Transportation Projects

Project for Public Spaces’ Transportation projects have ranged from local streets to state arterials in all parts of the country and in all types of communities. Projects have consisted of everything from simple streetscape improvements, to analysis of complex intersections and major thoroughfares; from transit-station designs to transit-oriented downtown plans; from light-rail corridors, to mixed vehicle/transit streets, to plans for the street environments of entire downtowns and commercial districts.

Some recent examples of PPS project work making Places out of streets, roads and transit facilities are:

Training and Strategic Planning
Regional Planning and Visioning
Main Streets and Downtown Transportation Planning
Transit and Station Area Planning

Training and Strategic Planning

All over the country, state and local governments are looking to “right-size” road projects and develop transit to better support community goals and long-term sustainable visions, especially as conventional options, such as widenings, become too expensive or prove unsustainable. PPS helps decision-makers at the local, county and statewide levels shift their agencies, staffs, consultants, and communities toward a more integrated way of planning transportation and land use, based on Placemaking principles. PPS blends Smart Growth planning principles with place-based visioning to help cities, towns and regions develop positive visions for their futures, in part by helping them to understand how transportation infrastructure is public space, and can be creatively designed and managed to support long term development and livability.

Integrating Transportation and Land Use Planning in New Jersey: New Jersey (2005 - present). PPS is training NJ mayors, planning boards members, and other interested parties in Integrated Land Use and Transportation Planning and Placemaking.
New Hampshire Long Range Transportation Plan: New Hampshire (2005 - 2006). "A Transportation Plan for New Hampshire" is the first state long-range transportation plan developed by a citizen committee.
New Jersey's "Future In Transportation" Program: New Jersey (2004 - present). NJDOT is committed to creating a more sustainable transportation network that accommodates pedestrians, transit users and bicyclists, as well as drivers.
"Stations as Places" Training: New Jersey (2005). PPS trained NJ TRANSIT staff to turn transit stations into assets both for the transit agency and the communities they serve.
Focus on Place: A New Planning Framework: Montgomery County, MD (2005)
Transit Friendly Communities for New Jersey: New Jersey (1999-2002). PPS provided technical assistance to 11 towns with train stations to make the most of their access to transit.
Context Sensitive Solutions Training: PPS has developed and led CSS training programs for thousands of transportation professionals and five state DOT's.
Context Sensitive Solutions Online Clearinghouse: PPS developed this online CSS resource center for the Federal Highway Administration. It contains case studies, academic papers & reports, and information on how each state in the country is implementing CSS.
New York City Streets Renaissance: A growing coalition of community groups, elected officials, business leaders, and concerned citizens from across the five boroughs who are working together to bring long-overdue, common sense improvements to our neighborhood streets.
Transportation Publications: Browse our collection of transportation-related books & videos.

Regional Planning and Visioning

Communities that work together across their borders to address shared problems, like congestion and over-development, are more effective at managing them. PPS helps residents, municipal leaders, developers, and state agencies explore solutions for their centers and corridors beyond conventional road widenings and strip development. By adopting integrated transportation and land use strategies, congested commercial corridors can become attractive, thriving, multi-modal Grand Boulevards that link together a series of places, enhance the community at large and ease congestion by reducing the number of cars on the road.

Focus on Place: A New Planning Framework: Montgomery County, MD (2005). The County is encouraging vibrant, mixed-use centers and attractive boulevards to ensure economic growth for the county while enhancing the quality of life of its residents.
Peninsula Corridor Plan: San Mateo County, CA (2001-2004). PPS is working in seven cities along El Camino Real to create a series of local Main Streets instead of a road that drivers speed through.
Vine Street Expressway: Philadelphia, PA (2002-2003). PPS worked with Philadelphia's Center City District to turn around this Expressway that currently divides its surrounding neighborhoods and discourages street life.
Farmington Avenue Strategic Plan: Hartford, CT (2000-2002). The Farmington Avenue Alliance wanted to revive a historic but long-neglected boulevard in the state capital. PPS helped them achieve their vision.
Route 17 Corridor: Bergen County, NJ (2004-2006). PPS is helping NJDOT and local municipalities develop a sustainable, integrated transportation / land-use plan for a 10 mile section along the NJ Route 17 corridor.
Chagrin Boulevard: Cleveland, OH (1998-1999)

Main Streets and Downtown Transportation Planning

Streets are the largest public space in any town or city and have great community-building potential. Yet all too often they are primarily designed and managed solely for a car’s experience on the asphalt. PPS helps communities develop more holistic visions for downtown revitalization, using workshops and observations to brainstorm a more lively mix of stores and services, rationalize traffic patterns and intersections, create streetscapes that support local economic development and create a series of linked destinations. PPS’s downtown programs reinvest neighborhoods in their downtowns, and help create streets that knit neighborhoods together, and allow for flexibility in programming and activities that enhance the character and identity of area downtown, and create a more balanced, and beautiful street for all users.

Creating Streets for People in the San Jose/Guerrero Neighborhood: San Francisco, CA (2005-2006)
Congress Street Master Plan: Tucson, AZ (2004-2005)
The Meatpacking District: A Community Vision for Gansevoort Plaza: New York, NY (2005)
Littleton Places: Littleton, NH (2003-2004). Littleton took advantage of a scheduled improvement on Main Street to reconsider the purpose of the street as a gravity center for the community. PPS was hired to lead the town’s visioning process.
Meredith US 3/NH 25 Improvements Transportation Planning Study: Meredith, NH (2005-present). Route 3/25 does not reflect the village character of downtown Meredith. PPS is helping the community and NHDOT re-think the purpose and design of the road.
Arlington District: A Revitalization Plan: Poughkeepsie, NY (1999-2000). Construction on Raymond Avenue in Poughkeepsie was completed in the spring of 2007, and features improved crosswalks, medians, and a new roundabout.
Newark Waterfront Community Access Study: Newark, NJ (2002-present)
Route 280 Community Visioning: Bergen County, NJ (2004-present)
Plainfield Commuter Station and Town Center: Plainfield, NJ (1994-2002)
San Bernardino Downtown Street Enhancements: San Bernardino, CA (1992-1994)
Mulry Square Pedestrian Improvements: New York, NY (1994-1995)

Transit and Station Area Planning

Great bus stops and train stations are natural focal points for communities – they are places where people gather, wait, socialize, run errands, and enjoy a refreshment or a meal on their way to and from work, school or other places. Transit stations can be successful sites for markets, small businesses and public services. PPS helps agencies, developers and communities across the country capitalize on access to transit by working with them to better manage stations, integrate them into their communities, and demonstrate their potential for economic development. Leveraging transit as a place and destination instead of just basic transportation facility has helped communities and agencies increase transit ridership, reduce automobile congestion, improve livability, provide community services, and revitalize adjacent neighborhoods.

Peninsula Corridor Plan: San Mateo County, CA (2001-2004). PPS is working in seven cities along El Camino Real to create a series of local Main Streets instead of a road that drivers speed through.
Transit Friendly Communities for New Jersey: New Jersey (1999-2002). PPS provided technical assistance to 11 towns with train stations to make the most of their access to transit.
Rutherford Station Square: Rutherford, NJ (2000-2001)
Staples Street: Corpus Christi, TX (1991-1996). The Regional Transportation Authority of Corpus Christi hired PPS to develop innovative ways to enhance trolley and bus stops, the City Hall bus transfer center, and to introduce streetscape improvements in the area.
Delmar Metrolink Station Area Plan: Saint Louis, MO (1997)
Publication:Transit-Friendly Streets: Design and Management Strategies to Support Livable Communities