In the introduction to Street Plans’ 2016 Tactical Urbanism Guide, Tactical Urbanism is defined as “an approach to neighborhood building that uses short-term, low-cost and scalable interventions and policies to catalyze long term change.”
The federal government is encouraging and funding efforts to pilot potential designs to improve road safety through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. Demonstration Projects are described as “temporary safety improvements that inform comprehensive safety action plans… by testing proposed project and strategy approaches to determine future benefits and future scope.” Such efforts “using quick-build strategies, low-cost, and temporary materials… have the potential to inform future permanent projects.”
Starting in 2021, as part of the Building Resilient and Inclusive Communities (BRIC) Program, PA WalkWorks supported the efforts of several communities in the Commonwealth in their efforts to implement Tactical Urbanism projects.
This page includes links to documents related to Demonstration and Pilot Projects in Pennsylvania as well as resources from around the country. Reports and documents generated by WalkWorks and the Public Health Management Corporation in collaboration with the PA Department of Health include:
- A video short documenting Tactical Urbanism efforts in Scranton, Oxford, and Hazleton, Pennsylvania in 2023 (voice-over script).
- A full article summarizing Tactical Urbanism in Pennsylvania, from which the above video narration was excerpted.
- A Tactical Urbanism Project Participant Interview Report capturing key findings and recommendations from the 2023 demonstration projects.
- A Tactical Urbanism Policy Scan illustrating examples of successful demonstration efforts across the country and highlighting resources developed as part of these projects.
Several other states and regional organizations also offer guidance related to Tactical Urbanism as well:
- Art in the Right-of-Way Toolkit – “Made You Look” is a project of Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and the Maryland Department of Transportation, now under the Neighborhood Design Center. This toolkit provides insight into process, methods, and materials for increasing safety with eye-catching design and community engagement projects, piloted initially in the City of Baltimore, but now maintained and shared for use by communities throughout the state.
- California Quick-Build Guide — This guide distinguishes temporary pop-up or demonstration projects from quick-builds, which are rapid implementation of permanent infrastructure.
- Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Expo: Experimental Pop-ups – The webpage for the DVRPC EXPO program includes videos detailing several pop-up road safety projects: a two-week bike lane implementation in Narberth, PA; a half-day road diet/bike lane in West Chester, PA; and an additional demonstration effort in New Jersey.
- Minnesota Demonstration Project Implementation Guide — Minnesota Department of Transportation’s manual and proof of concept for proper design and installation of traffic calming demonstration projects is “Provided as a resource to assist communities and agencies in implementing short-term, low-cost, temporary roadway projects to promote and advance Safe Routes to School and active transportation initiatives.” (2019)
- Pop-Up Placemaking Tool Kit — From AARP and the Better Block Project, this publication can help elected officials, planners, policymakers and involved residents use temporary projects to improve communities for people of all ages. The toolkit includes placemaking “recipes” and is a practical guide to demonstrating and implementing positive change.
- Tactical Urbanist’s Guide to Getting It Done — This website is intended to serve as a hub of information about Tactical Urbanism, focusing on the information from the Tactical Urbanist’s Guide to Materials and Design, and highlighting additional resources by Street Plans and other partners.
- Smart Growth America’s Complete Streets Leadership Academies Report — Teams of local agencies and state departments of transportation worked with Smart Growth America to learn how to plan and implement quick-build road safety projects to “pilot and test new ideas and street designs to activate streets and better support walking, biking, and rolling.” (2024)
- Vermont Guidance Document: Demonstration Projects in State Highway Right-of-Way — The Vermont Agency of Transportation Guide describes the approval process for demonstration projects within Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans)-controlled highway right-of-way (ROW) only. This document is a guidance, not a comprehensive “how-to” or design manual.
In Pennsylvania the state Department of Transportation is currently updating its Design Manual Part 2 Highway Design (PUB 13 DM-2), including extensive revision to and incorporating of the formerly separate Traffic Calming Handbook. This resource has the potential to provide new tools and processes for improving road safety in Pennsylvania more quickly and effectively than has been possible to date.
This project was supported by the PA Department of Health through Cooperative Agreement Number 2-NU38OT000286-03 and Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.
