The design process

Streets can be perceived as permanent structures – they are not. Streets have always been places in flux. But what is at the centre of their design and how we design them changes over time.

At the heart of Street Moves is a process that is inclusive, interdisciplinary, site-specific and exploratory. This requires the expertise of the designer and people with local knowledge of the place. The Street Moves design process is therefore designed to involve as many stakeholders and actors as possible from start to finish. Here you can follow the basics of the Street Move design process in four steps:

The design team and the municipality visit the site together. Early in the process, measurements and observations are conducted based on the impact goals set by the municipality. At the end of the project, new measurements are taken to assess the results of the design. These measurements can be both quantitative and qualitative, including, for example, pedestrian, cyclist, and vehicle flow measurements, as well as assessments of greenery and biodiversity. Methods may include surveys, interviews, or observations.

The municipality’s vision, impact goals, and findings from the site visit form the framework for a workshop invitation, bringing together citizens, private actors, municipal representatives, and others affected by the site. To engage stakeholders and identify needs, it is crucial to invite a broad range of participants early in the process. Maintaining close dialogue and providing continuous feedback to those impacted by changes to the street is essential for both the process and the final outcome.

Based on the dialogue, the overall needs analysis and previous lessons learned from Street Moves, sketch proposals are prepared by the design team. The first draft proposal provides a common understanding of the target image and forms the basis for feedback and continued dialogue between the municipality, the design team, residents, stakeholders and experts in areas that affect the street. Examples of such areas are mobility, universal design, biodiversity, urban greenery and children’s perspectives.

Based on the sketch proposals and discussion, several design proposals are developed, which can take the form of 3D visualisations, volume sketches, hand-drawn sketches and other elements that clearly show the form and function of the proposals. After a final round of feedback, the sketches can be taken forward to technical drawings, preparation of construction documents, authorisation and production.

The design is tested on the street. The effects are then measured using methods that correspond to the measurements made at the start of the project, such as flow measurements, visitor activity, greenery, biodiversity, questionnaire interviews and analysis of other data, and compared with the measurements made at the start of the project. Based on the measurements, the design and the design process that led to it are evaluated. What could have been done differently? What lessons can be taken into future work? What knowledge can be extracted from the project and shared nationally?

The knowledge built in the project is shared further within the municipality, with other Street Moves partners and with the rest of the world! And so the process continues – now with more voices, lessons learnt, needs and functions as a starting point. It’s as simple as that!