The Importance of Awnings and Canopies in Walkable Places

Something as simple as an awning can make a place much more friendly to pedestrians.  In 90 degree heat the shade provided by awnings might even determine whether or not people will walk at all. The shade provided can compensate for a lack of trees in places where it might be difficult to plant them.

 

These are a few images showing how much shade a built-in canopy can make versus an attached awning and no awning at all.  Most of the buildings in the images are single story so an awning or shade canopy becomes even more important.

 

Good Main Street Urban Design in Downtown Burbank

There are many great urban design elements in just this one little section of downtown Burbank.

 

 

Nice wide sidewalk, street trees, benches for sitting, narrowed street at a mid block crossing, pergola that calls out the paseo to the parking in the rear. (See the picture below.) The location of the office building on this frontage is unfortunate. Offices are no longer permitted on the ground floor along San Fernando Boulevard in downtown. The other corner of this building at the end of the block has a good restaurant with lots of patio dining so it's not a complete disaster. (Notice the ribbon of bricks. Typical of downtown redevelopment in the past, but Nate Hood of Strong Towns will be happy to know that I have observed workers systematically filling in grout and maintaining the investment rather than letting it decay.)

This paseo is one of a half dozen in downtown Burbank. It makes San Fernando easily accessible from the parking in the rear and it is also a perfect place for a mid block crossing. This paseo is also a great opportunity to inject some excitement and visual interest into downtown. 

 

 

Mid block crossing that narrows the street which slows vehicles and makes the crossing shorter and safer for pedestrians. The street trees are a simple row with a large canopy that makes this the favorite downtown block for many people.

 

The design elements in these photos are repeated throughout downtown Burbank and make it a highly trafficked shopping and entertainment destination in the eastern San Fernando Valley. Some cities have successful spaces like this, but they refuse to implement similar improvements in other parts of their cities. They seem to think it's just fine for the charming little downtown district, but the real money is made elsewhere. The reality is that shopping districts like this generally are more profitable per square foot than the larger big box properties many cities pursue. I'm not sure why more cities don't aggressively encourage the growth of their traditional downtowns.

Verdugo Avenue, Burbank, CA

There are two to three blocks of development like this along Verdugo Avenue in Burbank, CA. One and two story buildings built to the sidewalk with parking in the rear. All built before the current very high parking requirements. It immediately abuts duplex and single family residential zones and is within a 1/4 - 1/2 mile walk of many residents. A bike lane runs most of the length of Verdugo Avenue through the city including at this point so it is also easily accessible by bike. This strip of buildings could use some investment - a small mixed-use project was recently approved at the other end of the block - or at a minimum a new coat of paint and some street trees, but it is otherwise a charming and functioning commercial neighborhood. 

What is wrong with Reseda?

UPDATE: After giving it some thought I've decided that the large parking lots behind the buildings along Sherman Way need to be redeveloped with housing. Parking for the commercial uses can be integrated into the new development. For sale or rental housing. A first apartment for a local kid, a place for a downsizing senior who wants to be able to walk places rather than drive, a condo for a young family just starting out.

Reseda is a neighborhood of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley. The population is about 75,000 which is approximately 11,500 people per square mile. The commercial center of the neighborhood is the intersection of Reseda Boulevard and Sherman Way. The area seems to have so much of what urbanists insist are essential to a vital, thriving, livable community. Yet Reseda doesn't seem to be performing as might be expected from a place with so many physical assets. The local councilman recently remarked that it had the area had the potential to be the "next hot night spot." I'm not sure what that means. Maybe just that it could have a more vibrant dining scene? I recently took some pictures of some of the physical assets in the area, which are below.

 

 Stores built to the sidewalk, street trees, on street parking, metered parking.

  

Buildings at the corner and opening to the corner, two story with office on the second floor, cross walks clearly marked.

 

 Streets are not excessively wide, crosswalks clearly marked, landscaped center median, retail windows open to the street.

 

On street parking, landscaped center median.

Charming "pedestrian level" lighting at bus stops. 

 

 

 Two examples of the more than adequate supply of free parking that was empty or nearly empty on  Sunday afternoon.  

That was the good. And now the bad.

                                                     

Vacant store front on Sherman Way 

 

Two separate churches in what should be revenue generating commercial spaces.

 

 

Vacant movie theater. (Doesn't every failing downtown have an empty old movie theater?) 

 

This didn't help matters. A Walgreen's set back form the street with a parking lot fronting the street. Exactly the opposite of what they should be building here.  They could have very easily brought that store to the corner and put the parking behind it.

Why, in spite of so many great assets, is this district do down and out? I did a Google search for "downtown Reseda plan" and the first hit was an LA Times article from 1990 "Revised Plan for Downtown Reseda Draws Mixed Reviews." Basically, the business owners and residents opposed mixed-use development, insisted on a two story height limit, and wanted to ensure that auto oriented uses such as repair and upholstery could open and expand in the area. It just seems like an odd place to want to concentrate those uses. But having read some of the comments in that article, I'm not surprised that downtown Reseda is in the state it's in. I'd love to learn more about this area and understand why it's struggling so badly.

Related: Review: A New Streetscape for Burlingame Avenue