Public Places - Sidewalks and Cafes

One of the most effective ways to achieve a vibrant downtown or neighborhood business district is to have plenty of storefronts and sidewalk cafes. Depending on a district’s size, even just a couple retail stores and small restaurants can have a dramatic effect on the livability of a neighborhood. When a community can place walking and dining patrons on (or slightly above) the sidewalk, they show passers-by that a neighborhood is active, safe, and occupied by those who wish to connect with others on some level.

In neighborhood business districts, buildings with storefronts are crucial to making the core of a city or neighborhood an inviting place.  While operable storefronts are especially helpful, the transparency of fixed glass tells people that the buildings aligning the street have occupants who are living, shopping, dining, and working – even when then they aren’t.  Visitors don’t actually have to see a building’s occupants through the glass to get the feeling, they understand that storefront glass means people.

But when buildings have blank walls, security gates, windows filled with glass block, or windows that are obscured with cabinets, cases, posters, and paint, these treatments send a signal to visitors that a place is unwelcoming or possibly even unsafe.

Sidewalks can come in various sizes depending on existing conditions and the desired vibrancy of a place.  Sidewalks don’t just have to be pathways for pedestrians and micro-mobile people; they can have places to pause, meet, and connect with others.  Well curated sidewalks and collector strips can be the most interesting places for communities to tell visitors their story.