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.

 

Pop Up Parks

Or is it pocket park? Pop up pocket park? Tactical urbanism? Whatever you call it, installations like this one in downtown Los Angeles are intended to reclaim the street for public space with little financial investment. Some complain that the temporary nature of these interventions and do not create any lasting impact, but their benefit is that they encourage people to imagine the ways in which their neighborhoods could be different and how they can make better use of public space. That is a good thing. This installation temporarily removes some on street parking. It doesn't have to eliminate parking on the entire block and it doesn't eliminate cars entirely. It just puts cars in their place and reduces their dominance. Not sure how I feel about the stationary bikes though. Maybe a little too cute.

Does bad traffic make it safer for pedestrians?

People are still figuring out what these shark teeth mean even though the sign says this is where you yield to pedestrians.  There's an occasional sudden screeching stop when people realize there's a human being crossing the street, but the north bound traffic - this picture is taken facing north - tends to be respectful of pedestrians when they step into the crosswalk. My observation is that more than half of the cars coming south fail to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk in spite of the shark's teeth that are also on that side of the intersection. The city was recently taking tube counts at the intersection and I had hoped they would install a protected crosswalk. 

The times of day when there are many pedestrians at this intersection is also when traffic is the worst and the cars line up in a bumper to bumper parade. This is when it seems safest for pedestrians. It is when there is little traffic and few pedestrians when it's riskier to cross. What does this say about planning for pedestrian safety? Is there a way to create the level of pedestrian safety seen at the busiest times without artificially creating negative traffics impacts throughout the day? Given recent neighborhood opposition to bike lanes on this stretch of Westwood Boulevard I'm not sure what pedestrian improvements could get support.

Simple Urbanism

The building is simple and plain, but it's placed right at the sidewalk and integrates well into the public realm. Four floors of residential above. Simple urbanism. Nothing fancy. Just put the mixed-use building in the right place on the property.  The queen palms are nice accent trees that help define the outdoor room, but they don't provide shade which is important on the north side of the street.  The shade in the colonnade depends on the time of day. (These pictures were taken around 9 AM.) It would make a great place for some outdoor dining without intruding on the sidewalk.

Luxuriously wide sidewalks.

This is a luxuriously wide sidewalk. The trees will grow to filter the sunlight. The City of Burbank set a good example with this sidewalk. Note the bike lanes as well. A little piece of good urban design. I would love a mid block crosswalk right about where the red brick building begins. 

UPDATE 7/24/14: I've been thinking about this post and I realized I hadn't noted what was lacking on this block. On street parking would make pedestrians feel a little safer, but there's no room in the existing right of way Also, the walls and windows don't provide anything interesting for people to look at as they walk, nor a reason to walk on this block unless they have business with the city.

 

Let the trees do their job.

These trees are so close... This species is planted along Westwood Boulevard. They are very easy to trim into little gum drop shrubs which happens more often than not. However, these examples show that if you keep trimming the trees up they eventually are taller than the business signs and do not obstruct visibility of potential customers driving in their cars. Now if they would just let the canopy fill out this would be a lovely, comfortable place to walk at all hours of the day. 

But this neighborhood should go one step further. Rather than worrying solely about potential customers speeding by in cars they should create a pedestrian paradise. The kind of place people wander through just to enjoy the space and then happen upon the shops and cafes that line this street.  The kind of place with "sticky streets" as urbanist Brent Toderian describes them.

 

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The Power of the Food Truck

It's like magic. Quick and easy food and some live music scattered throughout Magnolia Park Burbank and people turn out in droves. Especially on a hot summer evening. With so many people present you can get a feel for what the area could (will?) be like every weekend as interesting shops and restaurants begin to fill more of the buildings. This event is officially called "Ladies Night Out" because it was originally the salon, and boutique owners - mostly women  - who wanted to attract customers beyond the normal closing times of 5 and 6 PM. It now draws women, men, and families. You'll see lots of strollers and lots of people walking dogs. 

I spoke with the owner of Bearded Lady Vintage who explained that he doesn't make a lot of sales on this evening because his stuff is larger and can't be carried around while you're visiting food trucks. He said that many people discover his store and then return on the weekend to buy something. That's the big benefit of evenings like this. People who would have otherwise never walked past these businesses are given a reason to and then discover great alternatives to the often predictable merchandise found in chain stores.

Evenings like this build on the investments the city has made including, wide, well-maintained sidewalks, street trees, built in benches, and attractive and safe crosswalks. The business owners are wisely taking advantage of these investments and creating something very exciting for the City of Burbank. Just looking at these pictures makes you want to be there.

How can we make this underpass better?

This is Westwood Boulevard where Interstate 10 passes over. How can we make this less of a dead zone and more of a community asset? I know there's a movement to remove freeways and replace them with boulevards, but that's not a practical reality for this freeway right now. So we're stuck with underpasses like this one. Just beyond this image is tree-lined Westwood and it is about a five minute walk from the under construction Metro Expo Line.  Murals and lighting have been tried in other places, but what else could be done to mitigate the inhospitable nature of this place? I'm wondering if vertical elements that mimic the trees further up could be part of the solution. They did something like that where the 10 passes over Pico Boulevard. They could provide additional lighting at night and also function to create a buffer between pedestrians and traffic. Bright paint could help as well. Or perhaps a decorative signs announcing the entry to the neighborhood. I wasn't able to find anything beyond artistic lighting and murals online. Have people just accepted that freeway underpasses are ugly and there's not much to be done? Maybe my Google search skills are lacking. 

If you want to encourage people to walk...

It really doesn't take much. Sometimes it's as simple as keeping the sidewalks level and planting some trees.

Who says palm trees don't provide shade?

Palm trees sometimes get a bumb rap, but if the right type of palm is planted correctly it can filter the sunlight nicely. And filtering the sunlight is really all that's necessary. It's not necessary to create a solid shaded canopy to make walking a pleasant experience. You just have to soften the effects of the sun.

Boulevard as wide as a freeway.

This is the intersection of Santa Monica Boulevard and Westwood Boulevard.  This is what I have to cross to get to the closest grocery store. Ten lanes of traffic. Essentially a freeway with a traffic signal. (The route of the cancelled Beverly Hills Freeway. )

Many pedestrians cross this street with minimal problems every day. It's not the most pleasant experience because you feel very exposed in the middle of the vast intersection.  But there's strength in numbers so if you happen to be crossing one of the times of day when there are large numbers of people it really changes the experience.  There's no easy way to mitigate the massiveness of this boulevard, but on each of the corners there are gas stations,  a car wash, and a one story commercial building. Taller structures built to the corner might be the best way to reduce the feeling of exposure this intersection creates.  I can guess how the Homeowners' Owners Associations would respond to that. 

Sidewalk Dining

It's important that sidewalks are wide enough to allow for sidewalk dining and trees without unnecessarily impeding pedestrian movement.  This sidewalk in Larchmont Village is a great space.

 

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