Most cities treat streets like assets on a balance sheet. They assume that once a street is built, it adds value to the city. But in reality, a street is a liability. It costs money to build, maintain, repair, plow, light, and police. And unless the adjacent properties generate enough wealth to cover those long-term costs, the city is actually losing money on that street.

The design of a street is the single most important factor in whether people drive safely or not. It’s not about how many signs you put up, how many tickets the police write, or how many public service announcements you run. If a street is designed to feel like a highway, people will drive it like a highway, even if the speed limit says 25.

Most of our streets have been designed like roads. They’re optimized for moving cars quickly and efficiently, which often makes them dangerous and unpleasant for everyone else. When we flip the priority and design streets for people first, we get places that are safer, more inviting, and more economically productive. Slower speeds, narrower lanes, more crossings, better lighting, and active frontages all contribute to a street that supports human life and interaction. And ironically, when you do that, even drivers benefit—because the street becomes more predictable and less chaotic.