For every project the Friendly Streets Initiative carried out data collection and analysis. We collected opinions expressed about street concepts and maps, we surveyed residents and businesses (paper and online), carried out demographic analyses, researched claims about particular streets made by public and other agencies, examined and measured street conditions, took field notes, and did interviews and focus group research. Our primary deliverable was a report for the neighborhood(s) that can be a resource for creating a consensus vision and partnering with City planners and decision-makers toward the achievement of change.
SURVEY RESEARCH
FSI co-authors surveys of residents and businesses in the project area with the goal of getting as wide array of opinions as possible on the possible problems and solutions for public spaces, typically streets. Examples of our surveys can be found in the Appendixes of our Reports (see below).
ANALYSIS OF NEIGHBORHOODS
Among the first tasks of a FSI project is to do a demographic analysis of the neighborhood, which serves the FSI in better understanding the neighborhood, as well as mark a reference for determining how representative FSI events are. We also analyze land-use, history, and transportation patterns for each project.
MUNICIPAL AND OTHER AGENCY REFERENCES TO STREETS
FSI has found that when public and private agencies make claims about a particular street, they serve three uses: To know how others see the potential transformation of the street; to possibly partner with those agencies; or to use claims as leverage for moving toward actual implementation. Among the first tasks of any FSI project is to research where the project in question appears in other plans.
STREET CONDITIONS
The physical design of the streets, sidewalks and boulevards, as well as neighborhood land-uses, traffic usage data, and jurisdictional authority, are important for understanding the possibilities and limits of the transformation of streets. FSI measures each street, sidewalk, and boulevard, intersection circumferences and curb radii; we acquire data on traffic patterns; and we do parking studies.
OPINIONS ON GALLERY CONCEPTS AND MAPS
FSI displays large images of concepts and street maps to excite the imagination as to what street can have or be. We take ideas from all over the world, and remain attentive to new concepts and innovative thinking globally. We invite event-goers to indicate the ideas they like (or don’t) and record that data. To see this in action, click here.
INTERVIEWS AND FOCUS GROUPS
Members of the FSI team are trained in social science research methodologies with extensive experience with interviews and focus groups. Such methods are deployed according to the needs of a project.
FIELD RESEARCH
At each event we take field notes as another data source for understanding how neighbors (residents and businesses) experience and imagine the possibilities of a street transformation.
REPORTS
After the first phase of each collaborative project we create a report that brings together data collected from surveys, gallery of image votes, map post-it comments, event head counts, and field notes. This goes into a report that community members can use, with assistance from Friendly Streets, to take concrete action steps towards working with the city and advocating for the ideas the people in the neighborhood value most.
FSI Pelham Boulevard Parking Study for DPIA
FSI DPIA SAPCC Raymond Station Missing Link Report
UPDC and FSI Hague Avenue Project Report
Fairview Avenue Project Report and Fairview Appendix
Snelling Commons Preliminary Report
Snelling Design Recommendations by the Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation Design Center
Lexington Hamline and Griggs Better Bridges Report
Lexington Hamline and Griggs Bridge Design Recommendations by the Saint Paul Riverfront Corporation