November | 2004 | Dom's Plan B Blog

Monthly Archives: November 2004

November 11, 2004 · 1:50 pm

Does “Too Much of a Good Thing” Apply to Sidewalks?

By Dom Nozzi

I am convinced that it is, indeed, quite possible to build sidewalks that are too wide.

If a street is not dense or active enough to experience more than a tiny trickle of pedestrian volumes, a relatively wide sidewalk can create a perception that the street-life is dead, even if it is not entirely dead. A narrower sidewalk can, in such a circumstance, make the street seem more alive, even if the pedestrian volume remains the same. In addition, a relatively wide sidewalk can create an ambience that is not human-scaled and the feeling of being over-exposed—particularly if there are few or no pedestrians using it.

In my experience, pedestrians often enjoy the sociability of walking a moderately crowded sidewalk (often produced by a relatively narrow sidewalk), in stark contrast to our preference when driving a car on a crowded road. I would add that some of the best walking experiences I’ve had have been on Charleston and Nantucket sidewalks, which tend to be quite narrow.

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Visit my urban design website read more about what I have to say on those topics. You can also schedule me to give a speech in your community about transportation and congestion, land use development and sprawl, and improving quality of life.

Visit: www.walkablestreets.wordpress.com

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