Place standards toolkit
2.0 Guidance on use
2.1 Providing a shared transport response
The Place Standard tool asks the user to assess their community under 14 separate headings. For the purposes of shared transport assessment, the following criteria will apply:
- 1 - Moving around
- 2 - Public transport
- 3 - Traffic and parking
- 4 - Streets and spaces
Shared transport can also be a factor in the following sections:
- 7 - Facilities and amenities
- 10 - Social contact
- 12 - Feeling safe
As users progress through the process, a clear understanding of shared transport responses that may be applicable to the locality or the needs of the community can be sought by addressing the additional questions suggested for each section, in this resource. Examples of responses for each of the seven sections listed above are given to encourage users to think about how shared transport could be integrated into their communities, to the benefit of these places.
In each section a ‘big ticket’ question is asked as the basement of the assessment. In ‘traffic and parking’, for example, the main assessment question is:
- Do traffic and parking arrangements allow people to move around safely and meet the community’s needs?
It then asks you to assess this criterion based on several sub-factors such as:
- Do people take priority over cars and other traffic?
- Is parking in a safe and secure location?
These examples are by no means exhaustive and are designed to get the user thinking about the granular issues relating to the main question.
We will look at the seven sections highlighted in the introduction that could apply to shared transport and pose questions that the user could consider in their assessment to produce a response that brings shared transport issues into the planning mix.
2.2 Existing guidance within the tool
It is important to understand when to use the Place Standard tool. The following guidance is given within the document as to the appropriate nature of use of the tool.
Communities can use the tool to assess what works about their place and where it needs to improve. This may be part of a wider discussion about regenerating an area, or it might be to support a new place or development which is planned nearby.
Local authorities and Community Planning Partnerships can use the tool to help plan their activities and decide on their priorities for action.
The development sector can use the tool to find out what communities need and create good places where people want to live.
The Place Standards toolkit is an interactive, pro-active tool for communities, developers, organisations, and individuals to engage with and assess the communities they live in, in the context of the built and natural environment.
We recommend users read all the guidance contained in the online tool before embarking on the assessment process.
