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Better Cities Project
  • Home
  • About Us
    Our Vision
    BCP’s vision is that free-market municipal policy solutions are broadly available, widely acceptable, and regularly employed, enabling American cities to achieve their full potential as engines of economic prosperity. We reject the idea that cities are lost to free-market principles or policies.
    Our Mission
    BCP uncovers ideas that work, promotes realistic solutions, and forges partnerships that help people in America’s largest cities live free and happy lives.
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    Address

    304 S. Jones Blvd #2826
    Las Vegas NV 89107

    Phone

    (702) 608-2046‬

    Hours

    Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.

    Email

    info@better-cities.org

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Home Transportation and Infrastructure

Rethinking urban spaces: the case against ‘stroads’

They attempt to serve as community spaces and fast traffic conduits, but ultimately fail at both.

Patrick TuoheybyPatrick Tuohey
May 15, 2024
in Transportation and Infrastructure
Reading Time: 1 min read
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Image by Paul Sableman, CC https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Image by Paul Sableman, Creative Commons licensed.

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In The Wall Street Journal, urban planning critic Charles Marohn of Strong Towns criticizes the inefficacy of “stroads” in American cities — a problematic hybrid of streets and roads.

These stroads attempt to serve both as community spaces and fast traffic conduits, but ultimately fail at both, leading to congested, uninviting environments that degrade nearby property values.

Marohn argues for a clear distinction: streets should be optimized for community engagement and slow traffic, enhancing livability and economic value, while roads should facilitate quick, efficient transportation. He suggests radical changes to urban design, moving away from post-WWII suburban models that prioritize car travel over pedestrian-friendly, economically vibrant communities.

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Marohn advocates for reducing street widths and removing traffic signals to slow traffic, thereby increasing safety and community interaction.

His ideas reflect a broader critique of current urban planning practices, emphasizing the need for more humane and financially sustainable approaches to city development.

Tags: InfrastructureStreetsUrban Transportation
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Patrick Tuohey

Patrick Tuohey

Patrick Tuohey is co-founder and policy director of the Better Cities Project. He works with taxpayers, media, and policymakers to foster understanding of the consequences — sometimes unintended — of policies such as economic development, taxation, education, and transportation. He also serves as a senior fellow at Missouri's Show-Me Institute and a visiting fellow at the Virginia-based Yorktown Foundation for Public Policy.

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