The ubiquitous “street” in today’s urban environment has morphed from being a social gathering spot to a place for the uninterrupted movement of cars. This is the norm nowadays, and one would have to search long and hard to find a street that provides for all users, not just the ones with an exhaust pipe sticking out their rear end.

Luckily, there are organizations like Project for Public Places that are highlighting the street as a social construct, and they bring us examples of what makes a great street…

9 Great Streets Around the World
They teach us how roads can become prime public spaces

A central part of PPS’s work is helping communities get the most out of their streets, both as transportation links for all modes of commuters and as vital places for people to enjoy. That’s why we showcase many of the world’s best streets in our website’s Great Public Spaces listings, which begins with people’s nominations of their favorite public spaces- streets, parks, squares, markets, buildings and others.

This article below and the complete listing features the recommendations of people from around the world as well as PPS staff. These streets are successful for a host of reasons, among them automobile, pedestrian and bike accessibility; a variety of activities and land uses; comfortable places to sit and gather; and creation of a positive and unique image for the city or neighborhood. We encourage you to contribute streets in your city or town that satisfy these criteria.

Unfortunately, too many streets today provide the exact opposite experience. Along these lines, we encourage you to contribute to “The Hall of Shame” of bad streets so that we can lay out a strategy to fix these streets so that they not only serve all users, but also contribute vitality to the places in which they are located.

Click HERE to read the full breakdown of all the different categories of streets, from Market streets to Transit streets. They are all examples of civic amenities that we shouldn’t need an NGO to go out in search of. We deserve to have them a part of our daily existense.

Is there a street in Windsor that you feel has the potential for becoming a “complete street”?  What would it take to do so?  If we were to plan a pilot project to demonstrate the benefits of this kind of development, where would it be?  Is Erie Streets “La Bella Strada” vision going to be Windsor’s attempted addition to PPS’s list?