Narrow Sidewalks in Brentwood

 

 

This is the front of Brentwood Country Mart in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Very charming. It's unfortunate the sidewalk is so narrow and made even narrower by the placement of parking meters and potted plants. I assumed the sidewalks had once been more spacious and then narrowed for street widening, but the old photos I found show narrow sidewalks since the 1950s. It's unfortunate the sidewalks aren't more "pedestrian friendly," because most of the action is on the interior and would no doubt spill out onto this sidewalk if there was enough room. It's an odd couple of blocks. The buildings all sit right at the edge of the sidewalk as they should and the street is narrow; parking on both sides, and just one lane in each direction, but the sidewalks are very narrow. There's a center turn lane that might provide some room to work with as far as sidewalk widening but not enough to make it worth the investment. That being said, this has been a successful development and a successful neighborhood for nearly seven decades in spite of the the narrow sidewalks.  Apparently the ideal of wide sidewalks and street trees aren't always necessary.

Playa Vista Seating

This is just a little piece of the Los Angeles neighborhood of Playa Vista. This lovely space lines a park that is the center of a small commercial/residential mixed-use neighborhood surrounded by medium density multi-family and single family homes.   What I like about this space is the double rows of trees, the decomposed granite path, the movable table and chairs, and the proximity to a coffee shop, market, and yogurt store.  There are often families with young children playing at the park or just sitting in the grass enjoying the typically beautiful weather. The day I took these photos I spotted a group of people stepping off distances and taking pictures and I guessed correctly that they were planners who had come to see the place for themselves. They had come all the way from Australia to tour this and other similar developments across the United States. This space definitely has appeal. It's small, simple, and a quiet refuge from the traffic and less than attractive built environment just a couple blocks away. It's a place we make a point of stopping for coffee and sitting for a few minutes or walking through the neighborhood whenever we are in the area. For the folks who live here as well as people like me who like to stop buy for a coffee and a brief visit this neighborhood is a place worth caring about.  

Related: This post from Better Cities  - Walkable is good, "sit-able" is better - suggests that sit-ability is as important an urban concept as walk ability. 

 

The Opposite of Soul Crushing Ugliness

Detached and semi detached homes in Toronto, Canada. No garages or driveways in front. Simple architecture, porches, trees, easy charm.  The answer to the soul crushing ugliness of many of our cities is partly in the past. I bet your city's zoning code prohibits this or somehow makes it very difficult and I bet your public works department and fire department would say the street is too narrow. You might be surprised what your city's regulating code prohibit.