Streets carry vital utilities and services both above and below ground that support public and private uses.

This includes power, water, stormwater, sewerage and telecommunications infrastructure.

These services often use streets as the most practical and economical public rights-of-way to service the different types of properties and their activities. Different challenges arise for planning new development areas and working within existing built-up areas.

Rain gardens, such as this planted median at Wolseley Grove Zetland, increase water retention in the soil, support a more extensive tree canopy for reduced urban heat, and reduce the risk and severity of flooding.

Aligning with this function:

• Streets give access to property
• Streets are places of social and economic activity
• Streets are ecosystems