Introduction to curbside
The curbside (BrE: kerbside1) is the area between the edge of the traffic lane of the road and the sidewalk (BrE: pavement), where many of the functions that make the street active and vibrant are located: parking, loading, cycling infrastructure, terraces, etc. It acts as the interface between road and sidewalk, serving a wide range of activities such as ridesharing, deliveries, and public transportation. Hence, among the many transportation infrastructures, it is one of the most overused and congested areas, where vehicles typically stop or park temporarily, often for passenger or goods loading/unloading. Logistics providers, in particular, face challenges finding safe, legal loading zones with tight schedules, congestion, and limited delivery spaces. This often leads to parking on sidewalks or double parking, creating safety risks, increasing congestion, and contributing to higher emissions.
This growing complexity has driven increasing attention to curbside management as a distinct discipline over recent years. In fact, recent research highlights both growing challenges and innovative solutions for curbside management.
To clarify the key terminology underpinning this emerging field, Table 1 presents the core concepts. Nonetheless, typically, these distinct elements (curb, curbside, curb space, etc.) are collectively addressed through “curbside management”.
The key concepts when addressing the curb space are needs and functions. Needs are the activities that occur in the curbside area, typically parking or loading, but also walking, bicycle parking or even certain climate protection and green space measures. The physical outcome created in response to these needs is a physical feature, such as a loading bay or a bicycle rack.
In practice, curbside design operates as a sub-design. In fact, generally the major issues are decided in urban and city-level transport network plans, where there is insufficient insight into street-level local factors (shops, daily use) that are crucial for curbside planning. Urban networks (transport, green space, micromobility, etc.) are the most important input to curbside design and zone planning, and are little changed during the planning process: curbside design and zone planning essentially serve the higher order networks first and foremost rather than shaping them.
Moreover, local administrations often face difficulties, also due to fragmented data and limited standardised approaches for analysis and space allocation. Although data to address mobility needs often exists, it remains inaccessible due to technical challenges, inconsistent formats, and isolated systems. Effective curbside management requires standardised processes for collecting, storing, and sharing curbside data, along with user-friendly tools to help non-technical decision-makers analyse and manage curbside use.
Cities are exploring various strategies including dynamic curbside management solutions facilitated by ICT tools (such as sensors for parking slots) and flexible approaches like Tactical Urbanism to address increased demand from diverse users.
Following the definition of curb, curbside and curb space, establishing the physical elements provided in this first chapter, Chapter 2 will explore curb use, examining the functions and activities that take place there. Chapter 3 addresses curbside management, covering planning and regulatory approaches. Chapter 4 introduces digital technologies for smart curbside solutions. Chapter 5 presents Flexible Curbside Management through Tactical Urbanism approaches.