1. Street design toolkit
Clear walking paths and hill climb assists in Seattle. Photos: Seattle Department of Transportation
See it in action
City of Seattle – Age-friendly street design toolkit
Safe, comfortable streets help build strong social connections in a community and support physical activity. Many older adults and people living with dementia do not drive, instead relying on walking,rolling, or public transit to get around. However, not all streets feel safe and comfortable for people of all ages and abilities.
Challenge: Seattle has many steep hills, bridges, and waterways. These physical barriers make active transportation difficult, with many people relying on private vehicles to get around. Frequent rainy weather poses added challenges for walking and rolling.
Solution overview: Many older adults rely on walking as their main mode to access basic services. To address this, the City’s Department of Transportation (DOT) developed the Seattle Age-Friendly Street Design Toolkit, providing a series of resources and recommendations for age-friendly street design. The toolkit helps residents, developers, and policy makers understand how to make streets inclusive to all ages and abilities.
The recommendations include design standards for street crossings, traffic calming, pedestrian clear zones, weather protection, wayfinding, and street furniture. The DOT also developed two maps—one that shares which areas need to be prioritized for age-friendly street design, and one that helps residents decide on the most accessible route for them, taking into account slopes, construction detours, missing curb ramps, and other obstacles.
Solution overview: Many older adults rely on walking as their main mode to access basic services. To address this, the City’s Department of Transportation (DOT) developed the Seattle Age-Friendly Street Design Toolkit, providing a series of resources and recommendations for age-friendly street design. The toolkit helps residents, developers, and policy makers understand how to make streets inclusive to all ages and abilities.
The recommendations include design standards for street crossings, traffic calming, pedestrian clear zones, weather protection, wayfinding, and street furniture. The DOT also developed two maps—one that shares which areas need to be prioritized for age-friendly street design, and one that helps residents decide on the most accessible route for them, taking into account slopes, construction detours, missing curb ramps, and other obstacles.
Relevance to the guidelines
Strategy 1.2 Street grids
Strategy 2.1 Pedestrian paths and sidewalks
Strategy 2.2 Pedestrian crossings
Strategy 2.4 Transit stops
Strategy 2.5 Parking and drop-off
Strategy 3.1 Seating
Strategy 3.4 Signage
Strategy 3.6 Ground treatments
Strategy 3.7 Grade (level) changes
Strategy 3.8 Lighting