The revised street network as presented includes a new street designation called a “Woonerf”.
“Woonerf” is a Dutch term translated as “living street” which functions as shared public space for pedestrians, cyclists and for intermittent slow-moving, cautiously driven, automobiles. Limited parking opportunities may also be considered in the design of a Woonerf . The revised street network envisions such shared spaces along the riparian corridors to serve primarily as pedestrian and bicycle circulation, while maintaining an opportunity for limited local resident car circulation and fire apparatus access and staging areas. The introduction of Woonerfs into the potential street classifications for the plan area helps address a number of objectives that were raised in prior meetings. The primacy of pedestrians and cyclists in the design of a Woonerf helps establish public pathways along the riparian corridors and wetland features. Woonerfs are typically designed to have significantly less pavement than streets by providing a narrow 12ft wide driving surface meandering within a 20ft wide right of way. This allows for greater storm water retention and the slowing of surface water runoff which is a valuable design consideration in the immediate proximity of sensitive riparian and wetland areas.
Woonerf : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woonerf
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