New Designs for More Possible Green Space and Bike Lanes in SLC

Recently the Salt Lake Tribune posted an article about possible street redesigns for Salt Lake City. According to the Tribune, “Salt Lake City is in the process of diversifying its streets into 15 different designs, or “typologies,” with new priorities. The typologies guide will help pave the city’s future with streets that add a lot more green space, sidewalks and bike lanes.”

The designs come from gathering feedback through a survey that around 1,200 Salt Lake residents participated in last year. The Tribune states that “the survey identified five basic street functions — personal mobility like walking and biking, greening with trees and vegetation, place-making by making streets a place to linger, curbside uses like parking and bus stops, and vehicle mobility” which respondents were asked to rank. The majority of respondents ranked adding green spaces and personal mobility as their highest priorities. With this in mind, all of the designs include room for bike lanes and more green spaces.

Though the city does not currently have a budget to update the streets according to the typologies guide, “the city will refer to the designs when a street needs to rebuilt due to deterioration or other upgrades.”

The introduction of the designs has brought both positive and negative feedback, especially for residential areas of Salt Lake. Complaints have been made about the amount of parking available in the designs. However, our 1,000 Miles Program Director, Chris Wiltsie, supports the new typologies and believes that catering to more than just cars could help increase livability and equity in a city. 

“We talk a lot about privilege these days, that’s exactly what having a transportation network created for your cars is,” Wiltsie explained to the Tribune, noting that Black people and people of color rely more on alternative forms of urban transportation than white people.

When asked about the typology guide, Wiltsie told the Tribune he understood concerns about losing access to convenient parking, but he compared cities’ focus on cars to running a retail shop. He said, “If the only thing you thought about was how many people come to your store and how fast they traveled through it, and you didn’t care about how much money they spent or the pleasure they had interacting with your store ... what is lost in the experience?” he said.

The city is currently set to hold a public input period until August 31 where residents will have a chance to voice their opinions about the typology guide. To review the guide and submit comments, click on the button below.

(Screen capture from Salt Lake City website) A "Two-Way Thoroughfare" design proposed by Salt Lake City Department of Community and Neighborhoods