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ysabetwordsmithHere's an article about skywalks in cities.
I think they have their place, and it is exactly as shown in the picture: over big busy streets that nobody would want to cross on foot through that traffic. Done right, they enhance the environment. I've seen the kind with businesses inside them -- there was even a huge fishtank. It's also a good idea where you have two halves of a huge business on opposite sides of the street, like a hotel and its convention center.
Closely related is the pedestrian bridge, which serves the same purpose of crossing busy streets but without a weather cover over the top.
If you have a corner that eats pedestrians, then these solutions will definitely keep most pedestrians out of the way of traffic.
Where the concern is about privatization, simply provide a public version. You might limit private ones to cases where one business spans the street.
Where the concern is about foot traffic to street-level storefronts, check the walkability and climate. Is it pleasant to walk there? If so, people will probably do that. If not, mostly they won't, and removing skywalks will just drive them away, not put them on the street.
Don't put skywalks where they aren't needed. And the best way to avoid needing them is to keep streets relatively narrow and slow in shopping districts, so people don't mind crossing the street.
I think they have their place, and it is exactly as shown in the picture: over big busy streets that nobody would want to cross on foot through that traffic. Done right, they enhance the environment. I've seen the kind with businesses inside them -- there was even a huge fishtank. It's also a good idea where you have two halves of a huge business on opposite sides of the street, like a hotel and its convention center.
Closely related is the pedestrian bridge, which serves the same purpose of crossing busy streets but without a weather cover over the top.
If you have a corner that eats pedestrians, then these solutions will definitely keep most pedestrians out of the way of traffic.
Where the concern is about privatization, simply provide a public version. You might limit private ones to cases where one business spans the street.
Where the concern is about foot traffic to street-level storefronts, check the walkability and climate. Is it pleasant to walk there? If so, people will probably do that. If not, mostly they won't, and removing skywalks will just drive them away, not put them on the street.
Don't put skywalks where they aren't needed. And the best way to avoid needing them is to keep streets relatively narrow and slow in shopping districts, so people don't mind crossing the street.
