EIGHT KINDS OF STREETS
No sooner had I warned of an auto-centric world than I was directed to this delightful article in the Times about the eight kinds of streets New York City is trying to implement to improve circulation and elevate the pedestrian. I loved this quote by a local urban design academic: “It is absolutely critical that the people on foot are at the top of the hierarchy. The alpha mode is the shoe.”
I also liked his sentiment about serendipity in the city: “Cities are generators of accidents. And to the degree that they are happy accidents, that’s the indicator of a good city." When you're whizzing by in a car, the only accident you can have is a bad one, involving damage to your fender or even bodily harm. But at the foot level, an urban "accident" can mean chancing upon a jam session, a long-lost friend, or a beautiful tree. So if it takes eight kinds of streets to make less of the first kind of accident and more of the second kinds, so be it.
No sooner had I warned of an auto-centric world than I was directed to this delightful article in the Times about the eight kinds of streets New York City is trying to implement to improve circulation and elevate the pedestrian. I loved this quote by a local urban design academic: “It is absolutely critical that the people on foot are at the top of the hierarchy. The alpha mode is the shoe.”
I also liked his sentiment about serendipity in the city: “Cities are generators of accidents. And to the degree that they are happy accidents, that’s the indicator of a good city." When you're whizzing by in a car, the only accident you can have is a bad one, involving damage to your fender or even bodily harm. But at the foot level, an urban "accident" can mean chancing upon a jam session, a long-lost friend, or a beautiful tree. So if it takes eight kinds of streets to make less of the first kind of accident and more of the second kinds, so be it.
Comments