This document discusses strategies for improving city street plinths and public spaces. It proposes that true sustainability involves creating an adaptable and mixed city that is loved and owned by the public. The document outlines criteria for successful street plinths and public spaces based on input from over 90 international co-authors. It emphasizes the importance of pedestrian experience, placemaking, flexibility and a long term strategic vision to create vibrant public realms. International case studies and lessons learned are shared to help cities develop strategies to improve street plinths and public spaces.

1. The City at Eye Level
The Plinth

2. “Sustainability”?

4. True sustainability:
• The Adaptable and Mixed City
• The Loved and Owned City
• The Public City

6. International learning community
Strategies for the City at Eye Level
 85 co-authors, open source
 35 cases internationally
 Criteria & 101 lessons for good
plinths
 Methods for planning, users, property,
management, revitalizing

9. 90 Co-authors w Elijah Agevi w Mishkat Ahmed-Raja w Cecilia Andersson w Hans
Appelboom w Emiel Arends w Frank van Beek w Frank Belderbos w Rogier van den
Berg w Emily Berwyn w Willemijn de Boer w Nick Broad w Alessandra Cianchetta w
Jose Chong w Mikael Colville-Andersen w Ciaran Cuffe w Richard Dobson w Vivian
Doumpa w René Dutrieux w Paul Elleswijk w Gábor Everraert w Jos Gadet w Adriaan
Geuze w Jan Gehl w Meredith Glaser w Arjan Gooijer w Peter Groenendaal w Sander
van der Ham w Samar Héchaimé w Jeniffer Heemann w Mattijs van ’t Hoff w Paolo
Horn Regal w Nel de Jager w Jeroen Jansen w Max Jeleniewski w Lotte Johansen
Kaefer w Birgit Jürgenhake w Tanja Karg w Hans Karssenberg w Fred Kent w Berry
Kessels w Joep Klabbers w Martin Knuijt w Lars Korn w Willem van Laar w Tine van
Langelaar w Jeroen Laven w Willie Macrae w Kathy Madden w Camilla Meier w
Thomas Melin w Norman Mintz w Eri Mitsostergiou w Thaddeus Muller w Peter
Nieland w Renee Nycolaas w Kris Opbroek w Henk Ovink w Francisco Pailliè Pérez w
Gerard Peet w Laura Petrella w Elizabeth Peyroux w Levente Polyák w Stefanie Raab
w Solvejg Reigstad w Marlies Rohmer w Anna Robinson w Ben Ruse w Petra Rutten w
Wies Sanders w Ton Schaap w Lai Shouhua w Filip Smits w Alexander Stahle w
Stefan van der Spek w Jan van Teeffelen w Wouter Tooren w Marat Troina w Eric van
Ulden w Gert Jan te Velde w Mark van de Velde w Tasmi Quazi w Klaas Waarheid w
Robin von Weiler w Kees Went w Jouke van der Werf w Tony Wijntuin w John
Worthington w Xu Yunfei w Arin van Zee w Kim Zweerink

10. SOFTWARE
ORGWARE
HARDWARE
Pedestrian
FlowsExperience
Placemaking
Programme
Wayfinding
Markets as
Places
Plinths
Flexibility
The Hybrid
SpaceStreets as
Places
The Sound
ScapeResidential
Plinths
Long term
Strategy
Street
Coalitions
Place
Management
Reuse Vacant
Plinths
Costs &
Benefits
Quick Wins
Experiment

11. SOFTWARE
ORGWARE
HARDWARE
Pedestrian
FlowsExperience
Plinths
The Hybrid
Space
Long term
Strategy
Quick Wins
Experiment

14. privateprivate public space

25. privateprivate
public realm

26. privateprivate
city at eye level
street plinth

27. privateprivate
city at eye level
street plinth

28. STOCKHOLM

29. ANTWERP

30. Hybride zonesBRUSSELS

31. Hybride zones AMSTERDAM

32. Hybride zones
AMSTERDAM HYBRID
ZONE

33. AMSTERDAM HYBRID
ZONE

34. MUMBAI EQUAL STREETS
INITIATIVE

35. ROCINHA RIO DE
JANEIRO SELF

36. AMSTERDAM LEDGES

37. TOKYO MACHIYA
MA = SPACE
CHI = ROAD
YA = SHOP

38. LONDON KING’S

39. PORTO ALEGRE 4o
DISTRITO

40. MEXICO CITY
#GALERÍABALLINDAM
M

41. BUDAPEST NYITVA
FESZTIVAL

42. GUANGZHOU
LITCHI BAY

43. SYDNEY
FINER
GRAIN

44. SEOUL HONGDAE

45. SEOUL HONGDAE

47. ZOHO ROTTERDAM: BEFORE

48. ZOHO ROTTERDAM: AFTER

51. ROTTERDAM PLINTH STRATEGY

52. ROTTERDAM PLINTH STRATEGY

53. ROTTERDAM PLINTH STRATEGY

56. “The street plinth may be only
10% of a building,
it determines 90% of the
experience.”

57. Developer: short term profit focus
Cities“pavement focus
Building owner:“single tenant focus”
Users:“shut out street, blinds, fear”
Architects:“building focus
WHY GOOD PLINTHS
ARE
NOT SELF-EVIDENT?

58. Hybride zones
HOW WE CAN GET IT
RIGHT
Developer: longer term value focus
Cities“city at eye level focus
Building owner:“multi tenant focus”
Users:“connect with the street, hybrid zone”
Architects:“street focus

59. Los Angeles “Great Streets
Toolbox”
Chicago “Complete Streets”
Toronto “Pedestrian Strategy”
Dublin “Your City Your Space,
Public Realm Strategy”
Paris “La Rue en Partage”
Stockholm “Walkable City”
Rotterdam “Plinth Strategy”
UN Habitat “Streets as Places”

60. TOOLBOX - ANALYSING YOUR
STREETS

61. Good buildings:
1. Many units 4-10 m, variety functions and reasons to visit
2. Veranda feeling, rich material, vertical orientation, not too much glass
3. Flexibility, plinth height > 4m, flexible land use plan
4. Good hybrid zone, transition private to public
Good streets:
1. Coalitions / street management
2. Green, density, clear entrances, wayfinding
3. Pleasure to walk in, balance car-pedestrians, comfort (wind, sun, sound,
sitting)
4. Definition: height > half width, congruent street sides, tree canopy
Good contex:
1. Analyze the Pedestrian flows
2. Long term strategy and active partners
3. Analyze the position in the urban fabric: history, fine grid, networks
4. Public realm: connections to parks and plazas
CRITERIA FOR GREAT ‘PLINTHS’:
THREE LEVELS

62. Good buildings:
1. Many units 4-10 m, variety functions and reasons to visit
2. Veranda feeling, rich material, vertical orientation, not too much glass
3. Flexibility, plinth height > 4m, flexible land use plan
4. Good hybrid zone, transition private to public
Good streets:
1. Coalitions / street management
2. Green, density, clear entrances, wayfinding
3. Pleasure to walk in, balance car-pedestrians, comfort (wind, sun, sound,
sitting)
4. Definition: height > half width, congruent street sides, tree canopy
Good contex:
1. Analyze the Pedestrian flows
2. Long term strategy and active partners
3. Analyze the position in the urban fabric: history, fine grid, networks
4. Public realm: connections to parks and plazas
CRITERIA FOR GREAT ‘PLINTHS’:
THREE LEVELS

63. Good buildings:
1. Many units 4-10 m, variety functions and reasons to visit
2. Veranda feeling, rich material, vertical orientation, not too much glass
3. Flexibility, plinth height > 4m, flexible land use plan
4. Good hybrid zone, transition private to public
Good streets:
1. Coalitions / street management
2. Green, density, clear entrances, wayfinding
3. Pleasure to walk in, balance car-pedestrians, comfort (wind, sun, sound,
sitting)
4. Definition: height > half width, congruent street sides, tree canopy
Good contex:
1. Analyze the Pedestrian flows
2. Long term strategy and active partners
3. Analyze the position in the urban fabric: history, fine grid, networks
4. Public realm: connections to parks and plazas
CRITERIA FOR GREAT ‘PLINTHS’:
THREE LEVELS

64. Good buildings:
1. Many units 4-10 m, variety functions and reasons to visit
2. Veranda feeling, rich material, vertical orientation, not too much glass
3. Flexibility, plinth height > 4m, flexible land use plan
4. Good hybrid zone, transition private to public
Good streets:
1. Coalitions / street management
2. Green, density, clear entrances, wayfinding
3. Pleasure to walk in, balance car-pedestrians, comfort (wind, sun, sound,
sitting)
4. Definition: height > half width, congruent street sides, tree canopy
Good contex:
1. Analyze the Pedestrian flows
2. Long term strategy and active partners
3. Analyze the position in the urban fabric: history, fine grid, networks
4. Public realm: connections to parks and plazas
CRITERIA FOR GREAT ‘PLINTHS’:
THREE LEVELS

65. SOFTWARE
Pedestrian Flows
Quality of shops, cafes, culture
Experience
ORGWARE
Tools
Portfolio Management
Street Coalitions
HARDWARE
Building
Street
Hybrid Zone

66. STREET
WORKSHOPS
“PLINTH STRATEGY IS MUCH MORE
THAN JUST FILLING AN EMPTY SPACE.
IT’S ABOUT DEVELOPING
A STRATEGY THAT IS BASED ON CO-
CREATION, FLEXIBILITY, CREATIVITY,
PLACEMAKING,

67. INNER CITY STRATEGY

68. INTERNATIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITY
- community
www.facebook.com/thecityateyelevel

69. BRAZIL LAUNCH PORTO ALEGRE 19-

70. www.thecityateyelevel.com
/thecityateyelevel
@cityateyelevel