stroad

This is a term coined by the US advocacy group Strong Towns which is essentially interested in urban planning that reduces car dependency and favours urban design concepts that benefit people in their daily lives, such as walkability, mixed-use zoning and infill development.  The word is a blend of street and road.  Their argument is that streets are for people engaged in various interactions, and roads are for cars to get swiftly and efficiently from one place to another.  The stroad attempts to do both so you end up with a shopping centre with a multi-lane road going through the middle of it.  The wide lanes invite cars to speed and make it impossible for pedestrians to cross safely. The stroad reduces the amenity for people in the shopping centre.  Strong Towns has come to Australia with its idea of putting people at the centre of town planning and development, and, as a result, we have learnt about stroads.