Low Barriers: Rethinking the Kerb as the Next Frontier for Smart Cities
Joey Grigg
Year
2024
Role
R&D Team
Joey Grigg
Date
07.2025
Category
Perspectives
Category
Perspectives
Date
07.2025
At Osta, we spend a lot of time thinking about streets - how they work, who they serve, and what they could become. We believe one of the most critical (and underappreciated) places to start is at the kerb.
Traditionally, the kerb is simply a border between the road and the pavement. Today, it sits at the intersection of some of the biggest challenges and opportunities facing our cities. From oversized private vehicles, to booming last mile deliveries, to ambitions for more liveable neighbourhoods - the kerb is the space in which it all comes together. If cities want to be more dynamic, equitable, and resilient, it might just be the smartest place to begin.
Below we explore three key forces reshaping the role of the kerb, along with thoughts on how cities, the private sector, and communities can work together to improve outcomes.
1. Carspreading: Our streets can’t - and shouldn’t - keep up
Cars are getting bigger and heavier. The average new car today is substantially larger than those for which our streets were originally designed. In the UK, SUVs and pick-ups make up more than half of new car sales. Many spill over standard parking bays, encroach on pavements, and increase risks for people walking and cycling. Heavier vehicles also accelerate wear on road surfaces and infrastructure, and release toxic tyre particulate in addition to, and irrespective of, any fuel emissions.
Electrification is essential for decarbonising transport, but simply swapping petrol for batteries within ever-growing footprints will not address these fundamental spatial challenges. A heavy electric SUV still takes up the same space, and often more as newer cars accelerate the ‘carspreading’ dynamic.
The path forward demands a combination of incentives and regulation: behavioural nudges that encourage the use of smaller, lighter vehicles, paired with measures such as differential parking fees, restrictions on kerb parking, even size or weight-based charges. Crucially, these approaches must be carefully tailored to local context - what works on a dense London high street may look very different in a market town or suburban area. All parties - from local authorities to residents to industry stakeholders - should be actively planning for what is most appropriate in their unique streetscapes.
2. Last Mile Logistics: A critical, chaotic layer
The kerb is also under growing strain from an explosion of last mile deliveries. More goods are being delivered (and returned) than ever before, all across the essential synapse of the kerb - and the pace is only increasing. Yet the last mile will always default to a highly fragmented, inconsistent system that varies dramatically from street to street and city to city.
There is no universal model for managing these flows, but evidence shows that targeted improvements can unlock rare win-win scenarios - reducing congestion, emissions, and delivery costs while also improving safety and quality of life. Micro-consolidation hubs, better kerbside management, and rightsizing vehicles to their specific tasks are some of the most promising avenues. A small e-cargo bike doing short, dense rounds can outperform a van circling narrow streets in both cost efficiency and urban impact when properly integrated.
Again, local engagement is critical. The best solutions grow from a clear understanding of existing street dynamics and close collaboration between city officials, delivery operators, and the businesses and residents they serve.
Photo: NYC Department of Transportation
3. Liveable Streets and Quality of Life: Designing with intention
Finally, we should remember that the kerb is not just a concrete edge - it is a liminal space that shapes the entire public realm. It can be a barrier or a seam, a place of conflict or opportunity.
Cities should actively design the kerb according to their ambitions. Are we aiming to slow cars, to protect and to enable vulnerable users? Are we seeking to limit kerbside parking to make room for trees, seating, or small traders? Could we support adaptable public spaces that flex for different needs at different times - from logistics consolidation in the morning to markets or outdoor dining in the afternoon? Are we separating waste streams, integrating micro-mobility, or creating cooler microclimates?
Done well, rethinking the kerb could be the clearest and fastest route to more physically active, economically vibrant, and socially connected urban life. And crucially, it need not be reserved for cities with the budgets for large-scale regeneration. With relatively modest, iterative changes - widening a footpath here, introducing timed delivery zones there, trialling modular planters or benches - communities can shape spaces that evolve as needs change.
An edge to win
As cities become more connected and data-informed, the kerb is due a fundamental rethink. It is the interface where private mobility meets public space, where commerce meets community, and where small design choices ripple out into broader economic, social, and environmental outcomes.
At Osta, we’re working on these very challenges across a range of projects - from designing right-sized last mile vehicles to helping rethink how streets allocate space. If you’re a city official, a developer, a logistics provider, or simply someone who cares about how we can make our streets work better for everyone, we’d love to talk.
Get in touch at hello@ostastudios.com. Let’s explore how to shape the future of our streets.