To enlarge our imagination and develop new tools for better streets, the Future Design of Streets platform shares design ideas and explore new ways for street spaces, bringing together experiences and knowledge from different cities and areas. The Platform forms a knowledge centre and is involved in (strategic) design projects, (academic) research and organises various activities (workshops, debates) on street design: events | library | tools | projects.

Streets are important spaces in urban areas and form resilient collective spaces for all of us. Streets are adaptable by their ability to integrate new uses and new technologies. Now and tomorrow. Within the balance of new societal, sustainable and technological challenges and demands, street design must be redefined. What are possible new strategies for street design? Who is using the street space? How can we design to improve streets?

It is clear that streets are more than a space for mobility flows only. Enlarging the spectrum of street design with a social perspective and including nature will not only change our look to streets, but will brings us new possibilities and challenges on how to organise and design streets in the coming decades. Our platform operates with both academic and planning organisations, as municipalities, design offices, research centres and universities.

Since 2020, four international webinar series, three city editions and an international conference were organised, bringing together more than 100 people: from 18 countries and different professional fields. In these events, we reached a broad and diverse public from different areas as: designers (architecture, landscape architects, urban planners), engineers (mobility, infrastructure), researchers (sociology, economy, spatial disciplines) and specialist within the public sector (municipalities, governmental organisations, knowledge centres). We also reach many citizens, social organisations and politics. At the moment we count on almost 1250 persons that follow us.

Recently, many cities, towns and villages showed creative and tactile street adaptations and interventions, provide space so that people could enjoin the street space to meet, to play, to stay. In some cities this could take place with a bit of tape and paint, in others it was a key moment to implement a long term planning into practice. Facing the challenges on climate adaptation and social cohesion it become also urgent how to learn and keep the positive experiences of the last years, and how to accelerate a real and fundamental change on street design and planning.

The Platform has a legal framework as association – a non profit organisation – that is led by Daniel Casas Valle, Ivo Oliveira and Catarina Breia Dias. Its counts with the support of three Portuguese universities: Universidade do Minho – Escola de Arquitetura, Arte e Design; Universidade Portucalense – Departamento de Arquitetura e Multimédia Gallaecia; Universidade do Porto – Faculdade de Arquitetura. Partners are: CCDRN, Ordem dos Arquitetos – Secção Regional Norte, International Federation of Pedestrians, Associação Portuguesa de Urbanistas and Urban Dynamics.

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´the Future Design of Streets Association´

the Platform has a legal framework as an association

a non-profit organisation

NIF/VAT: PT517434539