Moving Together, Faster
There are certain critical factors which create a functional street. This street, exemplifies what the urban center of a small town should resemble. Let’s get interactive and discuss some of the qualities which make this such a functional urban space.
Also, Can anyone name the town?
This is what our downtown streets should look like. Compact, connected by transit, and very pedestrian accessible. Can anyone name this city?
Believe it or not, buried deep in the center of this picture (literally) is this city’s central train station. Name the City and Station…
Curb cuts are perhaps one of the most under recognized destroyers of good urban design. They completely mutilate the continuity of the pedestrian realm and endanger cyclists riding close to the curb or cars parked on the street. Curb cuts effectively subsidize parking and therefore increases driving demand. The next time you are taking a walk and you notice you seem to be undulating with the rise and fall of the sidewalk, blame the curb cuts. I challenge you to try and notice the effect curb cuts have around Miami-Dade…I think you might surprised.
Sources: Flickr, UPenn muralBase
Can anyone identify this popular City Center? Hint: This image illustrates the most defining part of any city center, the central plaza. Identify the city and central square…
A city revolutionized the way people use the local bus network by creating pods where riders pay to access the pod rather than when boarding the bus. This process streamlined the whole boarding process and made the busways far more efficient and reliable. Can anyone name this city?
Can anyone name this noteworthy international street?
Ocean Parkway, Brooklyn, NY
Paris, France
Barcelona, Spain 
Copenhagen, Denmark
Manhattan, NY
Montreal, QC
Lyon, France
Can anyone name this skyline?
With the pastel colors, these houses look like they belong in Miami…but where are they really?
I love Church St because it embodies so many quality urban elements. The street is completely closed off to cars for several blocks, allowing people to comfortably utilize the public space in many ways.
The urban design is of high quality, with multi-story mixed use buildings defining street space as well as physically welcoming people on the street. In classic New England form, the street terminates as a “T-intersection”, showcasing a church (a public building/meeting house) as a symbolic gesture that the street is a functional community space and democracy is at work.
As you can see, this space is active year round despite Vermont’s frigid winter weather. During the summer and fall it’s a great spot to shop, dine al fresco, or just take a stroll with a friend or family member. Some of the surrounding streets are even bike-friendly, with bike lanes linking to the city’s network.
It’s hard to see how this scale could be objectionable to anyone; with Miami 21, we could expect to see quality urbanism of this scale in several neighborhoods.
Can anyone guess where this fine public space is?
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