NACTO Releases Pandemic Streets Design Guide

After three months of study and analysis, NACTO is providing authoritative guidance on new ways of thinking about rights of way now that the coronavirus has changed the way we live and work in cities.

1 minute read

May 25, 2020, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Coronavirus Streets

James Kirkikis / Shutterstock

The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) released a new guide to street design for the ongoing pandemic and the future recovery.

The "Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery" report showcases specific design and management tools "to keep essential workers and goods moving, provide safe access to grocery stores and other essential businesses, and ensure that people have safe space for social/physical distancing while getting outside," according to NACTO.

The report includes descriptions of emerging practices from around the world as well as implementation resources for communities. The following street features are addressed specifically in the report:

  • Lanes for Biking & Rolling
  • Sidewalk Extensions
  • Transit Lanes
  • Slow Streets
  • Pick-Up & Delivery Zones
  • Outdoor Dining
  • Markets

An article by Kea Wilson provides additional background on how NACTO created the report, and shares insights into a few of the larger themes present in the report, liking designing for equity, the need for flexibility in design response, the post-pandemic sidewalk, and the need to balance outdoor restaurant space with space for pedestrians. Wilson wrote a separate article to address that last point more specifically, and in greater detail.

Thursday, May 21, 2020 in National Association of City Transportation Officials

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

July 6 - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

July 6 - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine