Complete Streets
GIS Geospatial Management Thesis Project
Project Background
One of the simplest definitions of complete streets stated by the National Complete Streets Coalition (NCSC) (2011) is: “A complete street is a road that is designed to be safe for drivers; bicyclists; transit vehicles and users; and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.” Therefore, it is understood that complete streets are designed for the smooth flow of all modes of transportation sharing a road, following a restriction on speed limits for safety. However, the implementation complete streets policies does not occur immediately, it must go through Official Plan, Secondary Plan, or Community Improvement Plan (Complete Streets Niagara, 2012).
The goal of this project is to provide Geospatial Niagara with the essential resources to effectively communicate with associated stakeholders the value of pursuing the project “Complete Streets” for the Niagara Region as a whole. A model will be developed as an outcome of the project that can be used to assess and quantify the degree of completeness of the specified study area and, as a result, the designed model can be utilized for further research in the future.
Study Area
References:
Complete Streets. (2016). Retreived from: https://twitter.com/completestreets
National Complete Streets Coalitions. (2011). Complete Streets for Niagara. Retrieved from
http://www.niagararegion.ca/government/planning/pdf/NRCompleteStreetsPaper2012.pdf
The study area of interest is Welland Avenue/Fourth Avenue in St. Catharines, covered from the intersection of Cushman Road to the intersection of Seventh Street Louth. The entire route is a significant transit (local, regional, and inter-city) and pedestrian linkage (trails, school trips, and others). The route also spans the entire width of St. Catharines, passing through commercial, residential, and rural areas. It will act as an overview of the completeness of St. Catharines streets overall. Additionally, it is an integral link to Niagara Health System and Ridley College on Fourth Avenue. In short, the route along Welland Ave and Fourth Ave serves as a vital transportation network in the city.
