Understanding the allocation and use of street space in areas of high people activity

The allocation of street space is strongly contested in many cities, particularly in areas where there is a high level of people activity. In these areas, movement and place objectives are often in conflict with one another. The allocation of street space involves a range of governance, political and ethical considerations, yet efforts to reallocate street space should also be informed by empirical evidence of street space allocation and use. This can help to ensure that street space is distributed more equitably to users and support broader goals for increasing the uptake of more sustainable forms of transport. Using a case study of Melbourne's activity centres, this research aimed to understand how much street space is allocated and used by each mode of transport. It also explored factors that are associated with the use of each mode of transport. Multi-modal observational person counts and street measurements were undertaken at 57 different locations within 36 activity centres across Melbourne during 2020. For each site, data related to street and activity centre characteristics were compiled. Key results showed that on average, based on the principle of egalitarianism, pedestrian space in the form of footpaths is significantly undersupplied, while bicycle lanes, car parking and shared general traffic/bus lanes were oversupplied. When viewed across individual sites, considerable variability was found in street space allocation vs. use. Results also showed a number of street/activity centre characteristics that were associated with use of the street space for different modes. Among others, these included footpath width, clearways, movement and place classifications, distance to the Central Business District (CBD), presence of car sharing, car ownership, income and age. The research findings can be used to better inform decision-making on street space reallocation efforts through identifying locations where street space could be allocated more equitably to users.