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“First and foremost, a great street should help make community… A great street should be a most desirable place to be, to spend time, to live, to play, to work… Streets are settings for activities that bring people together.”

– from Great Streets by Allan Jacobs (1995)

The year was 1989. The Bay Area shook when the Loma Prieta earthquake hit. Highways and bridges were damaged, including San Francisco’s Central FreewayA high-speed, high-capacity, limited-access transportation facility serving regional and county-wide travel. Such roads are free of tolls, as contrasted with "turnpikes" or other "toll roads" that are now being introduced into Southern California. Freeways generally are used for long trips between major land use generators. At level of service E, they carry approximately 1,875 vehicles per lane per hour, in both directions. Major streets cross at a different grade level.. After many years of protracted battles, residents finally succeeded in getting the freewayA high-speed, high-capacity, limited-access transportation facility serving regional and county-wide travel. Such roads are free of tolls, as contrasted with "turnpikes" or other "toll roads" that are now being introduced into Southern California. Freeways generally are used for long trips between major land use generators. At level of service E, they carry approximately 1,875 vehicles per lane per hour, in both directions. Major streets cross at a different grade level. torn down and replaced with Octavia Boulevard. The boulevard was designed by a team led by Allan Jacobs, formerly San Francisco’s Planning Director. It still includes four lanes for through traffic, but also features landscaped medians, sidewalks and two lanes for slower traffic and bicycles. At the end of the old freewayA high-speed, high-capacity, limited-access transportation facility serving regional and county-wide travel. Such roads are free of tolls, as contrasted with "turnpikes" or other "toll roads" that are now being introduced into Southern California. Freeways generally are used for long trips between major land use generators. At level of service E, they carry approximately 1,875 vehicles per lane per hour, in both directions. Major streets cross at a different grade level. is a park, which has sparked the revival of the Hayes Valley neighborhood, now the home of flourishing boutiques and restaurants.

UC Berkeley Professor, Allan Jacobs has studied numerous urban streets from around the world to find out what makes a street truly great. What are the building blocks of a great street that make us want to take a leisurely stroll, meet up with friends over coffee, and window shop for hours? Clearly, some streets succeed more than others, and Jacobs believes that for our cities to thrive, we need more great streets.

In San Jose, the challenge, and the opportunity, is getting back to the way streets were originally designed — before planners segregated everything: homes from shops, pedestrians from cars. San Jose has embarked on a new style of planning and we hope this signals a new direction that will change the way people enjoy the city.

The Blueprint

Last year, the San Jose City CouncilA city's legislative body. The popularly elected city council is responsible for enacting ordinances, imposing taxes, making appropriations, establish¬ing city policy, and hiring some city officials. The council adopts the general planA statement of policies, including text and diagrams setting forth objectives, principles, standards and plan proposals, for the long-term future physical development of the city or county. The general plan is a legal document required of each local jurisdiction by the State of California Government Code section 653o1 and adopted by the city council or board of supervi¬sors. In California, the general plan has seven mandatory elements (circulation, conservation, housing, land use, noise, open space, safety and seismic safety) and may include any number of optional elements (such as air quality, economic development, hazardous waste, and parks and recreation). The general plan may also be called a city plan, compre¬hensive plan, or master plan., zoningThe division of a city or county by legislative regulations into areas, or zones, which specify allowable uses for real property and size restrictions for buildings within these areas; a program that implements policies of the general plan., and subdivisionThe division of a tract of land into defined lots, either improved or unimproved, which can be separately sold or leased, and which can be altered or developed. ordinance. adopted Envision 2040, the blueprint that will guide the city’s growth over the next few decades. Two of the major strategies include:

1. Streetscapes for people
2. A city of urban villages

That would be 70 urban villages throughout San Jose. And a key ingredient of a great place is streets designed for people. Whether people are driving, biking, taking the bus, walking, or skipping, streets should not only be safe, they should invite you in to visit the neighborhood. Now is the time for San Jose to flourish; to become a place of urban villages that people love to live in instead of just drive through.

On October 4, Professor Allan Jacobs will be in San Jose to chat about the building blocks of great streets and to share his experiences with street design, both near and farThe gross floor area permitted on a site divided by the total net area of the site, expressed in decimals to one or two places. For example, on a site with 10,000 net square feet of land area, a floor area ratio of 1.0 will allow a maximum of 10,000 gross sq. ft. of building floor area to be built. 0n the same site, an FAR of 1.5 would allow 15,000 sq. ft. of floor area; an FAR of 2.0 would allow 20,000 sq. ft.; and an FAR of 0.5 would allow only 5,000 sq. ft. Also commonly used in zoningThe division of a city or county by legislative regulations into areas, or zones, which specify allowable uses for real property and size restrictions for buildings within these areas; a program that implements policies of the general plan., FARs are typically applied on a parcelA lot, or contiguous group of lots, in single ownership or under single control, usually considered a unit for purposes of development.-by-parcelA lot, or contiguous group of lots, in single ownership or under single control, usually considered a unit for purposes of development. basis as opposed to an average FAR for an entire land useThe occupation or utilization of land or water area for any human activity or any purpose defined in the general planA statement of policies, including text and diagrams setting forth objectives, principles, standards and plan proposals, for the long-term future physical development of the city or county. The general plan is a legal document required of each local jurisdiction by the State of California Government Code section 653o1 and adopted by the city council or board of supervi¬sors. In California, the general plan has seven mandatory elements (circulation, conservation, housing, land use, noise, open space, safety and seismic safety) and may include any number of optional elements (such as air quality, economic development, hazardous waste, and parks and recreation). The general plan may also be called a city plan, compre¬hensive plan, or master plan.. or zoningThe division of a city or county by legislative regulations into areas, or zones, which specify allowable uses for real property and size restrictions for buildings within these areas; a program that implements policies of the general plan. district.. Won’t you join us?

What:  Great Streets with Professors Allan Jacobs and Elizabeth MacDonald
When:  Thursday, October 4, 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Where:  Bascom Community Center and Library, San Jose (map)

RSVP here!