In this episode, our panel discussed how to create better streets for the future and how to remove the conflict from the competing demands for street space. The conversation touched upon how practitioners need to better anticipate the ‘messiness’ that comes with designing streets for multiple modes, users and purposes, and how technology and data can improve our understanding of what is going on at street level.

Our guests were Peter Jones, Professor of Transport and Sustainable Development at the UCL Centre for Transport Studies and John Dales, Director of Urban Movement. They were interviewed by the event’s Chair, Nicola Kane, Head of Strategic Planning, Insight and Innovation at Transport for Greater Manchester.

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Show notes

John Dales is the author of our recent report 'Future Streets: Challenges and opportunities', which can be downloaded here. You can view John's Spotify playlist on streets (mentioned during the event) here.

You can find out more about Professor Peter Jones and his work on the EU More project on Future Streets here: Streets as ecosystems - MORE (roadspace.eu)

Our Director Jonathan Bray blogged about Future Streets in a piece called 'The secret life of the street – and what we need to know to make future streets work' and for Passenger Transport magazine here.

About the panel...

Peter Jones

Peter is Professor of Transport and Sustainable Development at the UCL Centre for Transport Studies. He is a member of the UK Independent Transport Commission, the DfT’s Science Advisory Council and co-chair of its Joint Analysis Development Panel. He was Scientific Co-ordinator for the ‘CREATE’ project on changing trends in urban mobility and future city challenges, and also for the recently completed ‘MORE’ project, that has developed processes and tools for design generation, stakeholder engagement and modelling and appraisal, intended to improve the design and operation of road-space on urban main roads. Peter advises the European Commission and a number of major cities, state and national governments around the world on transport policy issues.

John Dales

John is Director of Urban Movement, a consultancy specialising in transport planning and the design of urban streets and spaces. With a Transport MSc from Imperial/UCL and a background in traffic engineering, he has 38 years of professional experience. Having first worked in transport consultancy and then at the London Borough of Newham, he joined urban design practice Urban Initiatives in 1996 and founded Urban Movement in 2011. John is the author of a forthcoming Urban Transport Group report on future streets.

Nicola Kane (Interviewer)

Nicola is Head of Strategic Planning, Insight and Innovation at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and spends most of her time thinking about what the future might hold, as her teams work to develop and deliver a long-term transport strategy for Greater Manchester, covering the period to 2040. She is a chartered town planner (MRTPI) and qualified transport planning professional (TPP), and joined TfGM in 2014 after 15 years of working in consultancy. Nicola was awarded “Transport Planner of the Year” by Transport Planning Society in 2017 for her work in leading Greater Manchester’s 2040 Transport Strategy.