Streetfight - Libro en Inglés

Streetfight – Janette Sadik-Khan

When Janette Sadik-Khan became New York City’s transportation commissioner under Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2007, the city’s streets were designed almost entirely around cars. Over the next six years, she led a dramatic transformation that reallocated street space to pedestrians, cyclists and buses, changing the way New Yorkers moved through their city. In Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution, written with Seth Solomonow, she tells the story of that transformation and offers lessons for cities everywhere.

Sadik-Khan describes how her team turned parts of Broadway, including Times Square, into pedestrian plazas, first using temporary materials such as paint, planters and folding chairs to test changes quickly and cheaply. They built hundreds of miles of bike lanes, including protected lanes separated from traffic, launched the Citi Bike bike-share program, created faster bus routes and redesigned dangerous intersections to improve safety.

She explains the principles behind these projects, arguing that streets are public spaces that should serve people, not just vehicles, and that using data to measure results, such as reductions in traffic injuries and increases in business activity, is key to winning support. She is also candid about the fierce opposition she faced from some residents, business owners, politicians and the media, and how she responded.

The book offers practical guidance on street design, piloting projects, community engagement and measuring success, illustrated with photographs and examples from cities around the world.

Energetic and inspiring, Streetfight is a valuable read for urban planners, policymakers, activists and anyone interested in making cities safer and more livable.