Streets are the lifeblood of our towns and cities. Street planning is about much more than just providing good transport infrastructure: it is also about quality place making, supporting liveability, urban vitality and sustainability.

Current guidance is primarily geared towards local, residential streets. There is a need for more strategic, comprehensive guidance covering the integrated planning and design of the urban street network as a whole.

This Guide sets out to meet that need, by developing a new approach to urban street planning and design, based around the dual function of streets as Links and as Places. Shifting from a roads-based to a streets-based approach to planning and design has major implications for the ways in which streets are classified, how street needs and design requirements are defined, how satisfactory street performance is judged, how parts of the network are prioritised for attention, and for the types of street design solutions that are developed and appraised.

The Guide introduces and illustrates many of the new process and techniques that build on the principles of Link and Place, the adoption of which will result in more balanced and integrated solutions and outcomes for streets. Examples draw on case studies from the UK and other parts of Europe, providing practical illustrations of their application.

The Guide will be of value to all professionals and stakeholder groups with an interest in promoting successful streets, towns and cities.