Source：CNN

Dongcheng District in Dongguan went through a makeover. While urban street design in China often focuses on the needs of cars, the local government of Dongguan decided to put people first instead of motor vehicles to rebrand the Dongcheng commercial district. ITDP China work with DUPD and Dongcheng district government change Dongcheng's car-filled past and transform the area into great public spaces that attract gatherings and spending.

Dongguan is made up of 32 towns. Its urban form is deconcentrated and its development scattered. To strengthen the center city district, Dongcheng government jump started the central commercial development. Dongcheng Shibo commercial area is located right at the core of Dongguan center district. Therefore Dongcheng District was allotted lands for commercial development and for building 3 urban streets to meet the district's transportation needs. In order to provide the safe and pleasurable experience necessary for placemaking, the government carried out radical people-friendly street design that prioritized walking, biking, and public transit.

Fig.1 Location illustration for the project of Shibo commercial area at Dongcheng District in Dongguan

Dongcheng project includes 3 streets, 1.46 km in total. The people-friendly street design utilized several key elements including reducing number of lanes, using roadway median, designing dedicated bicycle lanes, and coordinating road facility space. For intersections, the design includes raised pedestrian crossing, small radius for curb and traffic calming measures. The original Dongsheng Street and Shibobei Road were built to suit the needs of motorized vehicles with two-way 4 lanes that occupied 15m of the road width. Only 2m of the road section was designed for bike lane and 1m for sidewalk. Pedestrians had to use building setback to get through.

After the redesign, both streets now have speed limits of 30km/h and 2 two-way motorized vehicle lanes with a protected bike lane. Shibozhi Road was redesigned to have 2 two-way lanes with shared bike lanes and sidewalk. The new people-friendly design redistributed the street space. It reduced 2 motorized vehicle lanes and added 2 bike lanes together with the road median (for better continuity, Dongsheng Street did not use road median). The design separated the functional zones and protected the bike lanes and sidewalk from the interference of vehicles.

Fig.2 Comparison of cross-section designs for Shibobei Road and Dongsheng Street

There are small commercial plazas on both sides of Shibobei Road. The new street design added a road median to the Shibobei Road to accommodate the pedestrian flow in a bustling commercial district. The road median is 1.5m wide and allows pedestrian to briefly rest on the median. This element makes it safer for pedestrians to cross the road. The design recommended plantations on the median for landscape purpose (the location of the plantation should be adjusted to actual pedestrian flow).

Fig.3 Demonstration of the median

Past street design in Dongguan rarely considers bikes. Bikes were treated as accessories of sidewalk and biking usually interferes with walking. The new street design reduced the space of motorized vehicles and made space for protected bike lanes. The barrier is made of aesthetic marble that allows bikes to go around it when necessary while preventing cars from encroaching bike lanes. This detail provides extra protection for bike riders.

Fig.4 Demonstration of the dedicated bikeway

In the past, road lights, signal lights, traffic signs and other road accessories were randomly installed on the sidewalk which created barriers and squeezed actual walking space. The new street design installed all the road accessories into the facility area together with the street trees. This coordination made space for bike lanes and sidewalk.

Fig.5 Illustration of organized facility corridor design and implementation

At intersections, raised pedestrian crossing helps to improve safety and reduce the speed of motorized vehicles. Small radius for curb is important for reducing the turning speed of vehicles and the crossing distance for pedestrians. NACTO's Urban Street Design Guide proposes the range (10-15 feet or 3-5m), the minimum(2 feet or 1m) and the maximum (15 feet or 5m) of curb radius. Different from China's usual 10-25 m curb radius, the new Dongcheng street design tried to follow international standard and used 5-8 m curb radius. The usual design is for bikes to merge into sidewalk when crossing which makes it harder for bikes to cross continuously. The new design designated straight dedicated bike lanes at intersections which makes bike rides easier and smoother.

Fig.6 Intersection design for Shibobei Road and Dongsheng Street

Other traffic calming measures were used including speed table that raises the motorized vehicle lanes and reduces the vehicle speed. Driveways were also raised to prioritize smooth and continuous walking and biking experiences.