Term: DefinitionADA (Americans with Disabilities Act): Federal legislation ensuring accessibility for individuals with disabilities. In street design, ADA standards guide curb ramps, sidewalk slopes, and detectable warnings.Arterial Street: A major roadway that carries high volumes of traffic between neighborhoods or urban centers. Typically features multiple lanes, limited access points, and prioritized vehicular flow.Artistic Streetscape Elements: Public art, decorative paving, or street furniture integrated into the design to enhance the character and cultural expression of Santa Fe’s streets.Bicycle Boulevard: A low-speed street optimized for bicyclist safety and comfort through traffic calming, signage, and priority crossings.Bioswale: A landscaped channel designed to collect and filter stormwater runoff using vegetation and soil infiltration.Buffer Zone: The area between the roadway and sidewalk used for landscaping, street trees, furnishings, or on-street parking.Complete Street: A roadway designed for safe, comfortable travel by all users — pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, and motorists — regardless of age or ability.Curb Extension (Bulb-out): A sidewalk extension into the parking lane that reduces pedestrian crossing distance and improves visibility.Cycle Track (Protected Bike Lane): A dedicated bikeway separated from vehicular lanes by curbs, planters, or bollards.Design Speed: The target speed for vehicles that street elements (such as lane width, curvature, and intersection design) are intended to support.Drive Lane: The portion of the street designated for vehicle travel.Equity in Design: The principle that all community members, regardless of background or ability, have access to safe and welcoming public spaces.Easement: A designated right-of-way for utilities, access, or maintenance, typically located along property lines.Furnishing Zone: The area between the sidewalk and curb where street trees, benches, lighting, and other amenities are placed.Frontage Zone: The portion of the sidewalk directly adjacent to building facades, allowing for pedestrian movement, café seating, or retail spill-out.Green Infrastructure: Systems that manage stormwater using natural processes (e.g., rain gardens, permeable pavements, bioswales).Gateway Feature: A design element marking the entrance to a district or neighborhood, often through signage, art, or landscaping.High-Visibility Crosswalk: A crosswalk with bold striping or decorative treatment that increases pedestrian visibility.Hawk Signal (High-Intensity Activated Crosswalk): A pedestrian-activated signal providing safe crossing on multilane roadways.Local Street: Streets serving residential areas with lower speeds and volumes, emphasizing safety and walkability.Lane Diet: A design approach that reduces lane widths to calm traffic and reallocate space to other uses (e.g., bike lanes or wider sidewalks).Median: The central divider between opposing traffic lanes, often landscaped or used for pedestrian refuge.Mobility Hub: A location integrating multiple transportation options such as transit, bikeshare, and pedestrian amenities.Parklet: A small public space that repurposes part of a parking lane for seating, greenery, or art.Pedestrian Realm: The portion of the public right-of-way dedicated to foot traffic, including sidewalks, plazas, and crossings.Permeable Pavement: Paving material that allows water to infiltrate the ground, reducing runoff.Road Diet: Reconfiguration of existing roadway space to improve safety and accommodate all users, often by reducing travel lanes.Right-of-Way (ROW): Public land reserved for transportation and utility infrastructure, typically including sidewalks and streets.Roundabout: A circular intersection that reduces conflict points and improves traffic flow compared to traditional stop-controlled intersections.Shared Street (Woonerf): A street designed to prioritize pedestrians and cyclists while allowing limited vehicle access at very low speeds.Sidepath: A multi-use path adjacent to a roadway, separated by landscaping or a buffer.Street Tree Canopy: The layer of tree coverage over a street corridor, providing shade, stormwater absorption, and aesthetic benefits.Traffic Calming: Physical and visual measures (e.g., speed humps, chicanes, narrowed lanes) designed to reduce vehicle speeds.Transit-Oriented Design (TOD): Land use and street design strategies that encourage public transit use through density, mixed uses, and pedestrian connectivity.Wayfinding: Signage and design features that help users navigate public spaces efficiently and confidently.Walkability: The measure of how safe, comfortable, and accessible an area is for pedestrians.
2013-2025 Growth Policy
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