Streets & Placemaking

At SYSTRA we are passionate about developing transport solutions that enhance places and the quality of people’s lives. Our transport planners, engineers and urban designers work on diverse transport planning and urban design projects that have placemaking at their heart.

What is placemaking?

Placemaking is an approach to designing neighbourhoods and public spaces that connect people, enhance the quality of life, and create new opportunities for social, cultural and commercial development. Successful placemaking requires excellent urban and highways design that addresses the complex and often competing needs of different users. It requires engagement with the public and stakeholders, to ensure local priorities and assets are considered and valued.

In urban areas, streets dominate public spaces – so it’s essential to get street design right if placemaking is to be successful. Streets need to provide people with space to get around safely, whether they are walking, cycling, driving or using public transport. SYSTRA is a leading adviser to local authorities, transport authorities and developers on all aspects of street design, from concept through to detailed design and delivery – helping to create places that enhance economic vitality, public well-being and community cohesion.

SYSTRA works at all scales to help transform streets, towns, cities and regions by planning, understanding, influencing and promoting transport solutions that enhance the places people live, work and visit.

Transforming public spaces for the better

Our vision is to transform towns, cities and regions by ensuring that transport investments enhance people’s lives. We understand the complexity of developing positive places and encouraging developers and highways authorities to deliver good streets and public spaces.

Positive placemaking demands broad expertise

To develop comprehensive solutions to the challenges of placemaking and street design, we bring together multi-disciplinary teams comprising urban designers, highway engineers, landscape architects, data scientists and engagement specialists.

By applying such a broad range of expertise to our placemaking projects, we can deliver a wide range of street design and management solutions to our clients. The projects we deliver range from designing junctions to accommodate segregated cycle facilities through to developing schemes that create healthy, green and resilient streets. Our projects help to facilitate social interaction, support local economies and reduce congestion.

Engagement and inclusivity

In all our street design and placemaking work, we recognise the critical importance of creating inclusive environments. We always engage with relevant stakeholders and the public to ensure we consider the needs of all those who will live, work and travel in the area.

Our streets and placemaking services include:

• Public realm strategies and masterplanning.
• Urban movement analysis and planning.
• Station integration planning and design.
• Street and public space design.
• Route strategies policy development.
• De-cluttering strategies and action plans
• Multi-modal modelling.
• Stakeholder engagement.
• Business case development.

Creating liveable, sustainable neighbourhoods

Our approach to street design is to understand the ‘place’ as well as all the issues affecting ‘movement’. We think imaginatively about how the two can work together to contribute positively to the experience and quality of urban life – while supporting the drive to zero carbon transport.

Our specialists have expertise in developing 20-minute neighbourhoods and 15-minute cities, where excellent connectivity helps people to get around quickly, easily and sustainably. We help to create liveable, low-traffic neighbourhoods that are safer, greener and less congested.

How can our experts help?

Interested in progressing your career at SYSTRA? Find out more about opportunities in our careers section.

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