Street + Plaza = STRAZA

Michael Huston

In the past century we have given up an expansive amount of public land for the sole purpose of moving heavy machines at high speeds through our cities. We have built expressways and multi-lane arterials through the hearts of our cities, pushing pedestrians to the fringes on narrow sidewalks (if there are sidewalks at all) and cutting off safe pedestrian and bike access to schools, parks and businesses. Fortunately, today, many cities are reevaluating this approach and exploring alternative street designs that reallocate public space for humans to walk, bike, play and gather.

Two types of human-centric street that are well-known in Europe, and gaining momentum in the U.S., are the Dutch woonerf, and its english named cousin, the shared street. The two street types are similar but have slight differences. The woonerf typically has no curbs or lane markings and has its origins in residential neighborhoods that wanted to slow traffic and create a safe environment for neighborhood kids. The shared street may have bollards or pavement markings to direct vehicular traffic along a certain path. Both types of streets prioritize non-motorized forms of mobility (walking and biking) over motorized vehicles (with eleictrically powered micromobility falling somewhere in between). For purposes of this essay, I will not dwell on the subtle variations of these street types, we need both and everything in between. My problem is with the nomenclature and how it may inhibit or slow the adoption of this powerful planning tool.

Neither woonerf nor shared street has a strong enough identity - or "brand" - to help propel the concept forward and catch the attention of North American cities and developers. Woonerf sounds cool, but it is almost impossible for anyone other than planning professionals to remember. On the other hand, the term shared street may clearly indicate the functional nature of this street type but the name is rather bland and uninspiring. We need a better name for these kinds of streets that will be more intuitive and memorable.

Taking a cue from Chuck Marohn, who invented the portmanteau STROAD to describe a roadway that attempts to function as both urban street and rural road (and does neither well), I started thinking about shared streets and woonerfs as a combination of street (urban roadway) and plaza (an urban gathering place) which came together as: STRAZA. In my mind, the word straza more intuitively conveys the qualities of this street type - and it's easy to remember! Further, the term fits nicely into the lexicon of street types; Maxwell Street becomes Maxwell Straza (abriviated SZ).

Above: a rendering of a prototypical STRAZA which, in this example, more closely aligns with a shared street.

Like shared streets and woonerfs, a straza can inhabit a variety of urban conditions. It can be implemented along an active mixed-use corridor or within a quiet neighborhood environment where kids feel safe to play. Cars may be permitted (at slow speeds) but strazas should be designed to be easily closed to vehicular traffic for special events or even more regularly on certain days of the week or hours of the day. 

Back in 2020, I proposed such a street, the “St Pete Straza”, as a member of an advocacy group called Car-Free St. Pete, in St. Petersburg, Florida. The idea was to create a pedestrian priority loop – or straza - to connect numerous downtown destinations and amenities. Although it was initially praised as a "game changer" by local media, the concept did not gain enough support from city leadership to be implemented. Perhaps it will still happen one day. As has been shown with the Beltline in Atlanta, and the Highline in New York, such ideas sometimes linger in the background until they reach a tipping point and take on a life of their own.

The concept plan for the St Pete Straza showing a pedestrian priority loop connecting major destinations, including the St. Pete Pier, Gas Plant District (Tropicana Field), Dali Museum and the USF St Pete campus. The Straza was envisioned to work in tandem with St. Pete’s bustling Central Avenue.

An aerial rendering highlighting the potential of the St. Pete Straza to connect major destinations and neighborhoods.  

While the St Pete Straza may be dormant at the time of this posting, my hope is that it will encourage other aspirational projects in which cities choose to reallocate at least some of their right-of-ways for the quiet enjoyment of their citizens.

I would like to see the term straza take its place in the public domain and gain traction in the lexicon of planning so that other cities can create their own versions of this human-centric open space.

Michael Huston

May 2025

Author's Note: Prior to the St Pete Straza, the author first proposed the concept of the “straza” as a subconsultant to Freese and Nichols, Inc., who used the term as a shared-street classification in the Unified Development Code for Brownsville, TX in 2019-2020.