Introduction 1. A Ubiquitous Urban Space for People 2. The Street Evolving: A Brief Social History 3. Everyday Social Behavior as a Basis for Design 4. Three Streets 5. Sociable Streets: A Typology of Social Behaviors 6. Needs for Social Behavior on Streets 7. Making Sociable Streets: Guidelines and Application Appendices
Biography
Vikas Mehta, PhD, is the Fruth/Gemini Chair, the Ohio Eminent Scholar of Environment/Urban Design and Associate Professor at the School of Planning, College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning at the University of Cincinnati.
Mehta’s description of the street as social space is a welcome reminder to those who see it simply as pattern or movement channel. The book is required reading for all who want more livable cities. — Sidney Brower, Professor Emeritus, School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation, University of Maryland
A readable and engaging people-focused book about high streets — Marc Furnival, Urban Design, Issue 128, Autumn 2013
With his fine-grained analysis of the design and use of three Massachusetts streets, Vikas Mehta reveals the particular qualities of road way, sidewalk and building frontage that together create vibrant public spaces – for people and for businesses. — Karen A. Franck, Professor, School of Architecture and Department of Humanities, New Jersey Institute of Technology
This important book returns designers' and policy-makers' attention back to the street as a place of social, economic, and cultural exchange. Using empirical observation and survey methods in the tradition of Lynch, Whyte, and Gehl, urban designer Vikas Mehta defines factors associated with socially successful, multi-use streets. They range from seating and shade (crucial) to economic policy to support the critical ingredient of independent, speciality businesses that add cultural and visual interest. Required reading for anyone concerned with re-animating the public realm of the city. — Robin C. Moore, Professor of Landscape Architecture, College of Design, North Carolina State University
A fresh take... [Mehta] conducted user interviews and performed multiple regression analysis on his frontage variables to determine the relative contribution of each to social activity. I cannot do justice to this full-length book in a short column, but I can say from experience that the book goes well with a glass of merlot while seated at an outdoor cafe. — Reid Ewing, Journal of the American Planning Association
[…] few books on urban design cover the details of social behaviour, and even fewer do so with reference to the street. And this is exactly what Metha aims to do in this book: provide readers with the tools to create ‘sociable streets’. — Iris Levin, Southgate Institute, Flinders University, Australia, in the Australian Planner
"Whilst The Street is academic in tone, Dr Mehta’s years as a practitioner, both in the US and India, combined with an observational perspective make this a readable and engaging people-focused book about high streets."— Marc Furnival, Urban Design Group Journal
"The book contributes to the existing scholarship about public space and streets. It is a good text for urban design graduate students and also for practicing community planners. Overall, the book is very easy to read. It is a well-researched case study of three main streets in the Boston metropolitan area that sheds light on some of the problems facing our public social spaces." - Journal of Planning Education and Research, Torsha Bhattacharya, University of Hawaii
