Arterial streets present a major challenge to sustainable urban planning, as they attempt to meet four basic urban space functions without having enough space. Arterial streets are main channels for through-going traffic between different parts of the city (1), provide access for the various kinds of traffic to buildings (2), are often major market places (3), and are meeting points where residents and visitors meet, talk and take part in events (4). The aim of the project is to improve the basis for decisions to resolve the conflicts between the four functions, taking into account a broad set of social, economic and environmental factors. This enables re-design of arterial streets in such a way as to improve the quality of life on urban arterial streets and achieving more sustainable travel patterns.

Consequences due to unsolved conflicts between functions at arterial streets are very evident today and have been so for decades. Remote indoor hyper-markets are to a certain degree a consequence of falling level of service for shoppers and shopkeepers in arterial streets. The allocation of too much space to private cars has resulted in high levels air pollution, noise, accidents etc. Loneliness among residents is one of consequences of too many cars and too much noise.

Today, the city administrations often have poor knowledge about the effects of alternative solutions to the predominating "highway design", which primarily focus on the capacity and speed of private cars.

The project elaborates and tests a practical method, which facilitates the access to new knowledge and motivates to changing standpoints. This encourages city administrations to chose more innovative and sustainable solutions when re-designing arterial streets.

The project develops a method for functional classification of arterial streets. Tools to measure the performance of arterial streets are elaborated, enabling city administrations to "benchmark" the streets in a holistic approach primarily based on a few core factors. On the basis of these methods and tools the project describes the current state of 38 arterial streets, and examines short- and long-term effects of different re-constructions, street designs and management strategies. Barriers and possibilities to more sustainable arterial streets are focused upon through the analysis of previous decision-making processes.

Innovative tools for providing new alternative options to problematic arterial streets and presenting and discussing effects of new designs in an understandable manner are elaborated and tested.

The final report will consist of Best Practice Guidelines for changing arterial streets. This development starts early in the project, as we must assure that these guidelines must be produced in a way that make them useful to local authorities throughout Europe. To ensure the best possible spread of the Guidelines the partners will organise in addition to a web- site, a brochure and a special distribution of the Guidelines themselves very comprehensive knowledge transfer through seminars and workshops with local and central decision makers and experts, where an active participation from these groups of stakeholders is sought.