Challenge
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, municipalities across Massachusetts faced an urgent need to reimagine public spaces for safe mobility, outdoor commerce, and community connection. However, many cities lacked the resources or experience to implement rapid street transformations.
Solution
MassDOT’s Shared Streets and Spaces Grant Program was an emergency relief initiative designed to help communities quickly implement improvements to sidewalks, streets, bus stops, parking areas, and other public spaces. Kittelson, in partnership with Toole Design and Stantec, provided technical assistance to help municipalities design and implement quick-build treatments ranging from outdoor dining areas and safer, more inviting pedestrian spaces to contraflow bike lanes and dedicated bus lanes.
The Outcome
Showing Quick-Builds Make a Difference
The technical assistance team developed replicable performance measures—such as speed studies, travel time comparisons, and user and business surveys—to assess the impact of quick-build projects before then applying these measures to a selection of projects installed during the pandemic. The analysis helped to quantify the value of these projects, showing how reallocating curbside and street space was making it possible for businesses to stay open and people to travel around their communities more safely. (Read more about the report and its findings here.)
Additionally, the program also gave smaller municipalities a chance to experiment with street design interventions they hadn’t used before, thereby expanding their toolkits and long-term visions. The success of these projects generated momentum for continued investment, with up to 10 rounds of grant awards issued over two years.
