Why Sadik-Khan Succeeded in Making NYC's Streetscape Safer

The short version of how Janette Sadik-Khan and her team transformed New York City streets to make them more bike and pedestrian friendly is that they: 1) started small, and built on the success of each project; 2) used creativity, planning, and paint, rather than construction and expense; and 3) researched, used data, and were tireless in their efforts to convince businesses, residents, and representatives to give the projects a try. In a review and summary of Sadik-Khan's book about her experience, Bay Area architect and environmentalist Todd Jersey writes:

. . . as those of us in the trenches of reclaiming the public realm from car dominance know, the loudest voices of resistance are owners of street-facing (mostly) small businesses. Sadly, these business owners cling to the old idea that shoppers come by car and that any changes to how cars move and park have a negative impact on sales. The book tells a different and important story (which Sadik-Kahn counsels we must know well in order to educate others).  That is, contrary to the decades-old popular belief, it’s pedestrians (and now bicyclists in increasing numbers) that drive sales to street-level businesses, not drivers of cars. There is now an ever-increasing amount of research that demonstrates conclusively that changes to our streets which support bike and pedestrian activity have a profoundly positive impact on street-level businesses.

Jersey also summarizes several of her projects, and notes that this type of "rebalancing" of streets is not only important to making urban environments more pleasant and equitable, but is critical for saving thousands of lives each year lost to car vs. pedestrian collisions. If you've been wondering whether to read Sadik-Khan's book, start with Jersey's review.