The bottom line - pedestrian active streets increase storefront retail

It seems to be common sense. Increase the safety and comfort for street level pedestrian speed traffic and people will congregate, activating storefront retail, increasing community self policing and possibly raising home values. A new report from Transportation Alternatives attempts to quantify the value of smart street design and the creation of "livable streets".

The report states:

• Quiet streets with no thru-traffic can boost property values up to 9%.
• Pedestrian zones can boost foot traffic by 20% and retail sales by 10%.
• Every decibel decrease in noise level raises property values .4%.
• Nearby community gardens increase the value of apartments by up to 7%.
• Traffic-calming can raise the value of homes by one-third.

Which means that when you start factoring in the value of GOOD design the end product could inherently be more valuable. The study uses New York City as a proving ground for the series of case studies and experimental theories that you can read about in the .pdf report here and attempt to apply to your surrounding community. However I must warn readers, it is easy to get swept up in "streetscape design" without taking the time to understand the context and value of the existing condition. It is easy to quickly and blindly apply generic tenants to a street and expect results to fit certain criteria, however one must be extremely careful to not destroy valuable existing infrastructure or amenities (East 12th Boulevard, I do miss you!) that rob a specific area of its identity in the process.