Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Walk This Way


On my way to the library this afternoon, I saw a group of men working hard to construct a new sidewalk. Not so unusual a task, perhaps. The unusual part was that it replaced a footpath worn in the lawn of a building at Park and Crescent.

This building once had a flimsy, shin-high fence made of wire and bits of metal fence posts. It was actually a hazard more than a deterrent to shortcuts and it was eventually removed. For a long time, walkers, bike riders and parents with strollers then used the path whether it was dusty, muddy or icy, rather than obey the 90-degree angle of the corner's sidewalk.

When I saw this new curve of sidewalk, honoring those who voted with their feet for it, my thoughts wandered to urban design. It turns out this propensity of people to make their own paths has a name and is respected in some quarters. Click here for more information.

Across the street, a similar apartment building has a chain link fence around the corner - no shortcuts allowed. So which is better, or is there room for both approaches? Do you like shortcuts or do you stick to corner sidewalks? I tend to do the latter. If you can spare a moment from election drama, please share your thoughts.

--Bernice Paglia

7 comments:

  1. The idea of desire lines is lovely and poetic, but conflicts with the reality of people willing to kill grass and walk in mud just to save a few seconds or watts of energy. Nevertheless, a curvy walk that cuts the corner is an unusually perceptive move by the landlord. Kudos.

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  2. When you are unable to keep people off of the grass . . . replace the grass!

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  3. Do what they did at the high school at the corner of Park and Steele a year or two ago:
    Put up the chain link fence and then rip it down.

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  4. I do prefer using the sidewalk, as I like grass better than mud. I am glad the new owners had the brains to put in this sidewalk as it was cheaper than a fence and solved the mud problem when it rains.

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  5. i like that path another shortcut
    I like eggs too

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  6. I recall some years ago, while attending classes for fire science at Union County Technical Institute, a new classroom building was constructed. They waited until the students made pathways from/to the various entrances and the existing buildings/parking lots, then installed the sidewalks where everyone walked. Worked very well.

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