Skip to content
Sponsored

Thanks to our advertising sponsor -

Global Street Design Guide Now Available Free Online

As of this week, the Global Street Design Guide, a handbook for cities around the world to design safe, sustainable streets, is available to the public as for free online.
Global Street Design Guide Now Available Free Online
Image: NACTO

As of this week, the Global Street Design Guide, a handbook for cities around the world to design safe, sustainable streets, is available to the public as for free online.

The guide was first released last October after two years in development by the Global Designing Cities Initiative, a project of the National Association of City Transportation Officials, which represents big-city transportation departments in the United States. The 400-page document, also available for purchase as a $50 hardcover, is currently only in English. Translations will soon be released in Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese.

The document is a compendium of best practices from cities around the world for designing streets that prioritize walking, biking, and transit while minimizing crashes and injuries. Created with the input of transportation officials in 72 cities across 42 countries, the handbook includes 21 street typologies, 50 different street and intersection treatments, and 40 case studies. It covers a wide range of topics, from bike lane design to working with underground utilities.

“This guide proposes designs that can work in cities from Mexico City to Mumbai, from Amsterdam to Addis Ababa,” NACTO chair Janette Sadik-Khan said at a launch event in New York Tuesday evening. “It accounts for everything — and I mean everything, from street vendors to rickshaws.”

The guide was funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, which has made road safety a top priority. In addition to serving as NACTO chair, Sadik-Khan, who served as New York City transportation commissioner during the latter half of the Bloomberg administration, is a principal at Bloomberg Associates.

The guide has been endorsed by 29 city transportation departments, including those in London, New York, Mexico City, Stockholm, and Nairobi. The manual is also endorsed by 15 NGOs, including the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy.

Photo of Stephen Miller
In spring 2017, Stephen wrote for Streetsblog USA, covering the livable streets movement and transportation policy developments around the nation. From August 2012 to October 2015, he was a reporter for Streetsblog NYC, covering livable streets and transportation issues in the city and the region. After joining Streetsblog, he covered the tail end of the Bloomberg administration and the launch of Citi Bike. Since then, he covered mayoral elections, the de Blasio administration's ongoing Vision Zero campaign, and New York City's ever-evolving street safety and livable streets movements.

Read More:

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog San Francisco

Driver Runs Red, Hits Cyclist, Speeds Off

April 17, 2026

Friday Video(s): Kidical Mass, Night-Biking in Tokyo, and More

April 16, 2026

Mayor Gloria’s Budget Has Deep Cuts for Safety and Bicycle Program for the San Diego Department of Transportation

April 16, 2026
See all posts