Computationally Evaluating Street Retrofitting Interventions

As cities become denser, traditional traffic patterns are challenged. Street retrofitting is needed to reduce car-dependency and to encourage new forms of mobility. This paper is the last part of a larger study aimed at identifying candidate streets for retrofitting, generating design proposals, and evaluating them. The Evaluation Module (EM) was based on the review of existing Pedestrian Level of Service (PLOS) instruments. PLOS factors were adapted to rely on geometry-based indicators and new metrics were added. The procedure was tested in an application study to assess its ability to reflect improvements before and after street retrofitting. The resulting evaluation methodology can be applied independently to any retrofitting intervention or in conjunction with the two other modules—formulation and generation—developed in the larger study. The EM quantitively demonstrates the potential of street retrofitting interventions to improve mobility for stakeholders in urban developments.