Key Takeaways
⇢ Tactical urbanism follows a clear sequence with each phase generating data and
political will.:
– demonstration (temporary installations & paint)
– pilot (months‑long with interim materials)
– interim design (1–2 years semi‑permanent)
– permanent rebuild (full reconstruction)
⇢ Tactical Urbanism is easily scalable and works everywhere, from towns with a
population as low as 1000 people to dense cities such as New York.
⇢ Tactical projects can address crises such as pandemic space needs, post‑quake
activation, and traffic‑fatality hotspots far faster than traditional infrastructure.
Summary
a. Tactical urbanism leverages short‑term, low‑cost interventions to test,
demonstrate, and build support for permanent public space and street
transformations:
○ It embeds tactical pilots into larger planning cycles to maintain momentum
and translate vision into tangible street‑level change.
○ Hands-on implementation with residents and local champions builds trust,
shifts skeptics, and leverages community expertise.
○ Even highly successful pilots can be partially rolled back without ongoing
community coalitions and transparent reporting.
b. Common Applications of Tactical Urbanism:
○ Civic Activism and Project Instigation: people being able to make a
change and how that adds up over time.
○ Community Engagement During the Planning Process: use the project as
a platform to interact with people and obtain feedback.
○ Community Engagement After A Planning Process: continue the goodwill
built during the project design and implement immediately.
○ Pilot Projects As Part of A Capital Project Development: interim design
projects to best understand how to redesign the street.
○ Material Performance Evaluation: test and evaluate low-cost solutions to
understand the users’ preferences before implementing permanent
changes.
○ Research Investigation: how people respond to design changes.
○ Rapid Crisis Response: quick, useful, temporary rebuilding.
○ Site Pre-Vitalization: bringing life to underutilized spaces.
○ Road Safety Response
○ Tactical Urbanism Policy or Program
c. Case Studies
○ Jersey City’s tactical program started in 2016 with demos and interim
upgrades such as quick‑build geometry tweaks, first parklets, and demo-
protected bike lanes. Later, the Bike Master Plan claimed 24 miles of
protected lanes in 4 years and contributed to zero city‑street fatalities in
2022, four years ahead of its Vision Zero goal.
○ Culver City reclaimed 56 percent of a major corridor, shifting from five car
lanes to dedicated bus lanes, protected bike lanes, and vibrant public
space art. Move Culver City pilot saw a 40 percent increase in bus
ridership, larger cycling/micro-mobility increases, 4 min faster bus trips,
and a 36 percent pedestrian activity increase.
How can Cities apply these learnings / findings?
a. Start small, scale up:
○ Close a block for a weekend → Install interim street redesigns → Publish
transparent pilot reports → Embed design ideas into official policy.
b. Adopt a Tactical Urbanism policy or toolkit for in‑house staff.
c. Reclaim car spaces by piloting bus and bike lanes to demonstrate visible space
reallocation.
Interesting resources
a. The Quick-Build Design + Materials Standards Guide – City of Burlington Public
Works. https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/1252/Quick-Build-
Project-Materials-Guide-PDF
b. Community Led Demonstration Project Policy + Guide – City of Burlington, VT.
https://www.burlingtonvt.gov/711/Tactical-Urbanism-and-Demonstration-Proj
c. Washington & Culver Boulevard Tactical Mobility Lane, Mid-Pilot Report.
https://moveculvercity.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Move-Culver-City-Mid-
Pilot-Report.pdf
d. Washington & Culver Boulevard Tactical Mobility Lane, Post-Pilot Report.
https://moveculvercity.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Post-Pilot-Report_23-
0420.pdf
e. Pedestrian Enhancement Plan Final Report, City of Jersey City. https://cdnsm5-
hosted.civiclive.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_6189660/File/Community/Transportatio
n/JCwalks_Final_Report_FINAL_053018.pdf
f. VisionZero Action Plan, City of Jersey City. https://cdnsm5-
hosted.civiclive.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_6189660/File/Community/Transportatio
n/Vision%20Zero/Vision%20Zero_RP.pdf
g. 2022 Year of Open Space, City of Jersey City.
https://www.jerseycitynj.gov/cityhall/infrastructure/division_of_sustainability/openspace
Ideas for further reading / research
a. Research, Guides, + Publications – STREET PLANS. https://street-
plans.com/research-writing/
