Much recent highway design in the UK runs contrary to supporting quality in the built environment and local landscape, and there appears to be a huge gap between evolving policy thinking and implementation on the ground. The Manual for Streets will provide design criteria for delivering multi-functional streets, emphasising place over movement, but is focused on design guidance for urban areas, and predominantly for new residential developments. There remains insufficient guidance for practitioners involved in the planning and design of intermediate roads, including existing high streets and rural lanes, in the UK. This paper reviews evolving best practice in rural areas in the UK and abroad, including innovative work in Kent, Dorset, Suffolk, the Netherlands, France, Germany and Sweden, and synthesises common lessons for future scheme implementation in rural areas in the UK. A case study from Shipbourne, Kent is worked through to show the likely issues involved in implementing a streetscape design based on a contextual and shared space approach. The key message is that streetscape design should always act to enhance the design of the local built environment and landscape. For the covering abstract see ITRD E137145.
Samenvatting