The city is planning to make more space for pedestrians and bicycles in future road renovation projects, with a new guideline on street design expected to be issued by the end of the month.

According to draft version of the Shanghai Street Design Guideline, any redesign of the road system will shift focus to people rather than vehicles.

The guideline will also provide practical requirements to help designers and other involved parties. They will include different colors to highlight lanes for non-motor vehicles, and space for restaurants or shop owners to set up tables and chairs outdoors, and more room for pedestrians.

Tiantong Road in Hongkou District has been chosen as the first road to be renovated under the new guideline as part of a trial program. Planning has been approved and work is expected to start at the beginning of next year.

The 704-meter proposed section on Tiantong Road sits between Henan Road N. and Wusong Road, and features Tiantong Road Metro station and historic buildings such as the General Post Office Building.

“Compared with traditional road reconstruction project to simply broaden roads, the project this time will take the whole public space as a whole, including sidewalks, greenery, even consistency of building’s facade styles,” said Cai Guangyu, a designer with the Shanghai Urban Planning and Design Research Institute.

Around Tiantong Road Metro station the space for pedestrians is limited. And with plans for a shopping mall and office buildings, the area will become even busier, Cai said.

Though most sections of the road are to be expanded from two lanes to four, the section near the Metro station will be an exception. It will be cut from the existing six lanes to five lanes, so as to provide an extra 1.5 meters for sidewalks on each side.

Landscape design will be taken into consideration in the project. Sycamore trees will be planted along the road where, at present, there is little greenery. A non-motor vehicle lane will be highlighted in a contrasting color.

Cai said the project will provide a model for the future. “For other reconstruction projects, designers and involved parties can refer to the guideline and develop their own for a specific project,” Cai said.