The shared street concept is being tested in Chicago, with goals of spurring economic development, allowing new and flexible use of public spaces, and increasing pedestrian safety.
A three-block stretch of Argyle Street in Uptown that was transformed into Chicago's first 'shared street' has created confusion among drivers and garnered mixed reviews from local business owners and pedestrians," according to Leonor Vivanco.
The $3.4 million project launched the shared street in August of this year, after the city's Department of Transportation rolled out the proposed project at the end of 2014.
"Asphalt streets and concrete sidewalks were swapped out for colored pavers on the shared street, which is dotted with Vietnamese restaurants, Asian grocery stores, flower shops and a few empty storefronts — as well as the CTA's Argyle Red Line stop, which received $10 million in improvements in 2012," explains Vivanco, who also notes that the project still has additional changes scheduled.
The article goes into detail about the work that has been done so far, the lessons all involved are gathering as work continues, and the experience on Argyle Street in this interim phase of the experiment.
FULL STORY: 'Shared street' on Argyle is off to bumpy start
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