Driving in the metropolis suck in . There are other cars and omnibus and bikes and people — god , so many multitude . And cars — being wakeless metal machines open of moving at gravid speed — are also extremely dangerous . alternatively of try out to fit everyone in an infelicitous medium , cities are more and more designing streets for pedestrian over cars . Check these ambitious projects all over North America doing exactly that .
Times Square Transformed in Manhattan
After a staggeringly successful pilot program project back in 2009 , New York City hired the architectural firm Snøhetta to make piece of Times Square permanently walker - only . The first phrase just envelop up at the end of last year , and the whole projection is bear to be finalized in 2015 .
Granite bench describe the bowtie - shaped public plaza . The custom concrete pavers on the ground are also embedded with small metal disc that fascinate and chew over the Square ’s characteristic neon glow . Since Times Square has become more pedestrian favorable , foot traffic and depot sale have gone up dramatically .
Watch Times Square and other parts of New York City transform from a honking mass of car to vibrant pavement in the video below .
epitome viaSnøhetta
San Francisco’s Car-Free Market St.
Market Street — San Francisco ’s thoroughfare — is a bunch of automobile , bikes , trolleys , buses , and pedestrian all vie for place . A stretch through business district includes four of the city ’s 20 most dangerous intersections for pedestrians and two for bikers .
Since 2009 , city planners have been implementing policies that push secret cars off of Market altogether . Proposalsinclude protect bike lanes and a elevator car - free street between the hours of 7 am and 7 pm . They’vejust unveiledan amplify programme that forces cars to detour around Market entirely , clearing the manner for faster double-decker and for safer pedestrian crossings . Because grocery store is the dividing line between two angled grids in San Francisco , as you may see in the map below , driving around Market gets quite cunning , and it ’s a veridical challenge to implement the detour aright .
Images viaBetter Market Street , SFMTA
Bringing Back Broadway in Los Angeles
Los Angeles is reimagining Broadway with pedestrian - friendly and traffic - calming designs — a program inspired in part by Times Square . The first of two phase in the Broadway Streetscape Master Plan is currently afoot .
In this initial “ dress dry run , ” impermanent barriers like pliant poles and planters will reduce the identification number of gondola lane from three to two . The west sidewalk will be widened by 8 feet to 20 foot , and both sidewalk will get bulbed outcurb extensionsto slow dealings at carrefour . If it all extend harmonise to plan , these change for the historical thoroughfare will be made more permanent in stage two of the Streetscape programme .
Image viaCity of Los Angeles
Mexico City’s Historic Center
boast cathedrals , palaces , and plenty of chronicle , the honest-to-goodness center of Mexico City has been revitalized for walker . Madero Streetwas turn into a car - free pedestrian walkway a few years ago and is now a attractive feature for street performing artist .
More recently , Avenue 16 de Septiembre , shown here , is one of 14 projects in Mexico City ’s 2013 - 2018 Plan for the Historic Center . A low-spirited speed terminus ad quem and wider sidewalk puts footer first . Other pedestrianized street , additional bike lanes , and a Metrobús BRT line all make go car - gratis in the city ’s Historic Center a lot easier .
range of a function viaITDP
Chicago Changes the Guiding Philosophy of Its Streets
Famous street redesigned with gorgeous renderings are great and all , but remaking the city for pedestrians is more than just changing a neighborhood or two . That ’s why Chicago ’s boring - soundingComplete Streets Design Guidelinesis a existent paradigm shift .
When we think of streets , we almost sure enough reckon of gondola — and so have street architect . But Chicago has switch over its street designing school of thought , assign pedestrian first and car , think it or not , last .
As the Atlantic Cities account last year , this is n’t about a footer v. car war ; this is about lay down the city ’s department of transportation count all forms of transit at once . “ That means that road crews heading out to resurface a street might consider onward of metre strip new bike lanes,”writes Emily Badger . “ electric engineers optimizing streetlights for car traffic will also believe about crosswalk clip . And building teams reconstruct an entire avenue may have to pause to consider footer islands in the roadway , or bike parking on the pavement . ”
trope viaCity of Chicago
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