THE STREET; PLACE

CONNECTOR
STREETS
In addition to accommodating movement, the street is a place of work,
shopping and commercial activity. It is the setting for social and religious
functions.
Streets are spatially defined by means of the surrounding buildings,
boundary features (such as fences, hedges and walls) and trees.
Streets and other public spaces are greatly influenced by the presence of
trees, which have physical, social and sometimes religious significance.
Streets are also marked by the presence of public structures such as public
water taps, temples and plinths.
FUNCTION OF STREETS

Providing access to properties, facilities and amentias

Accommodating public facilities and amenities (e.g. public toilets,
telephone booths, drinking fountains, benches, etc)
Enabling movement of people (both on foot and wheels), as well as the
transport and delivery of goods
Providing space for parking vehicles
Providing physical setup for leisure and cultural activities (such as strolling,
congregating, playing, people watching, window shopping, sitting and
relaxing, eating and drinking, as well as ceremonies and parades, art
performances and exhibitions)
Providing space for trading shopping and advertising.
STREET VS. ROAD
Streets are three dimensional spaces, while roads are two dimensional vehicular
facilities. Roads only function is to enable vehicular movement.
Streets are only found within human settlements (where their spatial definition
and functional complexity can be achieved), while roads can be found anywhere-
within, as well as between settlements.
CORRIDORS

Corridors are strips of natural vegetation linking ecosystem fragments. They

can be defined as “any area of habitat through which an animal or plant
propagule has a high probability of moving” (Noss 1991).
GREENWAY
CORRIDORS
The term “greenway” suggests two separate images: “green” suggests natural
amenities such as forests, riverbanks, wildlife; “way” implies a route or path.
Together they describe a corridors or trails crisscrossing a landscape that has
been otherwise transformed by development.
Generally greenways are deigned to connect open spaces for ecological,
cultural and recreational purposes. The origins of the green corridors planning
approach, introduced with the purpose of preserving and providing the
continuity of urban open spaces, are based on Olmsted’s ‘Parkways’ concept
in America and the Garden City concept of Ebenezer Howard during the
twentieth century in England.
Within the developed urban landscape, greenways serve a dual function:
 they provide open space for pubic access and recreational use and
 they protect and improve remaining natural resources.

One of the examples of green corridors in urban spaces is river valleys. Urban
river-valleys as one of urban ecological infrastructure could have effective role
in order to create a balance between nature and the man-made spaces in city and
the human relation to nature.
In a broader sense, “greenway” is a generic term for a wide variety of linear
open spaces that provide connections and thereby foster movement of some sort
within an urbanized fabric. These may include:-
 bicycle routes,
 wildlife corridors,
 revitalized waterfronts, or tree shaded
 footpaths along a stream or estuary that extends far from the city
Types of Greenways
from Greenways for America (Little, 1990)
Urban riverside (or other usually created as part of (or instead of) a redevelopment program along
water body) greenways neglected, often run-down city waterfronts,

Recreational greenways featuring paths and trails of various kinds, often relatively long distance,
based on natural corridors as well as canals, abandoned rail beds, and
public rights-of-way.

Ecologically significant usually along rivers and streams and less often ridgelines, to provide for
natural corridors wildlife migration and species interchange, nature study, and hiking.

Scenic historic routes usually along a road, highway or waterway, the most representative of
them making an effort to provide pedestrian access along the route or at
least places to alight from the car
Comprehensive greenway usually based on natural landforms such as valleys and ridges but
systems or networks sometimes simply an opportunistic assemblage of greenways and open
spaces of various kinds to create an alternative municipal or regional
green infrastructure
KEY FEATURES OF GREENWAY
CORRIDORS

The spatial configuration of greenways is primarily linear.

Linkage is a key greenway characteristic that defines the greenway and
relates it to the larger landscape context, often at multiple scale levels.
greenways are multifunctional, based on an assumed or negotiated spatial
and functional compatibility of certain uses.
the greenways strategy is consistent with the concept of sustainable
development, in that it is based on an assumed complementarily between
nature protection and economic development.
greenways represent a distinct spatial strategy based on the particular
characteristics and advantages of integrated linear systems
URBAN SUSTAINABILITY AND GREEN CORRIDORS

The term sustainability refers to a community’s capacity to support the long-

term health and welfare of its natural and man-made environment, as well as all
forms of life that depend on that environment. A sustainable community is
focused not only on protecting natural resources, but also on ensuring a high
quality of life for all residents.

Green ways can mix with urban networks for developing ecological activities
and acting like natural city lungs
THE FEATURES OF GREEN CORRIDORS IN URBAN
SUSTAINABILITY
Environmental benefits:-
 Flood hazard reduction
 Reduction of bank erosion and downstream sedimentation
 Riparian habitat enhancement and biodiversity
 Protect the natural environment
 Preservation of habitat
 Provide wildlife corridor and wildlife migration
 Microclimate enhancement
 Increase air quality
 Enhance environmental quality
 Provide connection between divided communities
 Limit urban growth
Economic Benefits:-
Increase real-estate property values
 Provide direct employment opportunities
Attract tourism
Help create tax revenue
Decrease the car related family budget
Social Benefits:-
 Improve leisure time
 Enable awareness of nature and the environment
 Enhance well-being through contact with nature Induce
healthier lifestyle
 Improve quality of life Provide access and linkage between
historical and cultural heritage
Decrease or balance certain drawbacks of urban life
Facilitate social equity Help to reduce crime
Decrease the health problems
Transportation Benefits:-
 Free to use and easy to access
Provide alternative transportation route for journey to work–home and
leisure activities
Provide non-motorized transportation
Provide connection between communities and urban–rural areas
Recreational Benefits:-
 Provide scenic routes for walking, cycling, etc.
Increase learning about natural environment
 Provide opportunities for outdoor activities
RECREATIONAL CORRIDOR

A recreation corridor is "a ribbon of land and/or water along which people
can travel for recreation purposes." It can be used as a means of getting to a
particular destination, or as a recreational touring experience unto itself.
Usually, a recreation corridor is also an "integrated use" corridor; that is, a
corridor along which uses other than recreation occur. For example, a
corridor that is used by recreationists for a variety of recreational
activities may also be an access corridor for commercial or industrial
development. Management and planning must also be provided for these
other uses.
TYPES OF RECREATION CORRIDORS

The different types of recreation corridors can be categorized according to

their physical nature, namely, as road, trail or waterway (including
freshwater and marine) corridors. Each of these corridor types can be
further distinguished by its setting (e.g., natural or developed).
UTILITY CORRIDOR
The unseen utility corridors are perhaps as important as the more visible
road, transit and open-space corridors. Investments in water delivery
systems, sewers, drainage capacity and other utilities form the backbone of
development. Designing these systems to be efficient, compact and
responsive to the land-use vision of the region is essential.
When utility lines are necessary, they should be buried near other corridor areas
that are already disturbed, such as roads and pedestrian paths. Overhead lines
should not be located in desirable view sheds or over landform crests. Many utility
lines can be concealed under boardwalks and thereby eliminate ground
disturbance.
BOULEVARD
A boulevard is a wide urban street with tree lined sidewalks and often
multiple lanes of both fast and slow moving traffic. Generally boulevards are
pleasant and grand promenades, flanked by rich monumental links between
important destinations.
Boulevards can be open spaces system that serve multiple function at once
such as:-
movement of traffic
provision of green space in the city,
 relief of congestion in overcrowded areas,
accommodation of pedestrians and bicycles and
the nurturing of vital street life and activity in the city.
Multi way boulevards are made up of two realms: a through-going
realm and a pedestrian realm. The central roadway is devoted to relatively
fast through-going traffic and may include a median separating the
opposing traffic streams. On the outer sides of this
roadway, and separating it from the abutting buildings, are pedestrian
realms, which include the sidewalk, a narrow access roadway, and a
continuous tree-lined median.
THE PEDESTRIAN REALM

• An extended pedestrian realm is absolutely necessary to creating a safe

boulevard. It provides space for parking, slow vehicles, and pedestrian
movement; it makes street crossings shorter and easier; it provides the
city and local inhabitants with an open space amenity; and it buffers
abutting properties form the pollution, noise, and psychological impact
of heavy traffic.
 The edge of the pedestrian realm should be defined strongly by a
continuous median, planted with at least one uninterrupted, closely
spaced line of trees.
LOCATION, CONTEXT AND USES
• Boulevards exist, and have a potential to exist, in very different contexts.
They work well as residential, commercial, or mixed use urban streets.
• Boulevards are appropriate where there is a need to carry both through
traffic and local traffic, and where there is real or potential conflict between
the two traffic types.
• They are appropriate for streets that, by virtue of their size and/or location,
can become significant elements in the city.
• They are appropriate where there is either a significant volume of
pedestrians who need to cross the street or a potential desire to do so.
Commercial streets, streets with high residential density, streets that
incorporate public transit, or streets with a significant presence of
public institutions, are examples of such streets.
CONTINUOUS TREE LINED MEDIANS
 On boulevards, continuous medians bound the center roadway and the
pedestrian realms, separating them and joining them together at the same
time. To a great extent their design determines the form and character of the
boulevard.
 Medians may range from 1.5 to 15 meters wide.
 Medians should contain amenities to encourage pedestrian use.
 The most important element in the median, its defining characteristic,
is the line or lines of trees: closely spaced, uninterrupted, and reaching
all the way to the intersection.
 If there are buses or streetcars on the boulevard, stops should be
located on the medians, as should subway access points.
ROWS OF TREES AND TREE SPACING

• Trees mark the boundary between the central, fast-moving realm and
the slower pedestrian realms. It is extremely difficult to create a
strongly defined, extended pedestrian realm with a treeless median.
• Trees also break down the visual scale of wide rights-of-way, and
create a pleasant environment for pedestrians and drivers alike.
•Trees should have a maximum spacing of 10.5 meters - 7.5 meters. A
minimum spacing as low as 3.5 meters apart is possible.
•Deciduous trees are preferable. They provide shade in the summer yet
allow sun into the street in winter.
• To maintain the integrity of the street as one whole, trees with
dense foliage below eye level should not be used.
• Trees can be arranged in various ways: in medians 1.5 to 3 meters wide
they are best planted in the center; in medians 3 to 7.5 meters wide, one
row of trees may be best planted closer to the center roadway, so that most
of the median’s width is protected from fast traffic, while two rows of trees
may be planted in a staggered pattern; on medians wider than twenty feet,
two rows of trees make the most sense.
• Trees should be planted in a regular pattern to enhance the linearity and
wholeness of the boulevard.
REGIONAL TRAIL
A trail can be a corridor, route or
pathway with strong linkages with the
natural environment, open space
network and cultural heritage. Trails
can be multi/shared use, duel or single
use. Providing a safer place for trail
users to get off a motorized
carriageway has a very high value,
even if scenery value not so high.
Trails have a high value if they:-
 Provide an experience for the target user group/wider public
 Link two points of interest
 Form part of wider network
TRAIL DESIGN OBJECTIVE
Safety: to indicate where it is safe to pass, and indicating whether or not
marked trails have been inspected to remove obvious hazards, including falls,
rock slides, overhanging limbs, management of poison ivy, etc.
Way-finding: often assisted by trail maps, and best introduced by an easily
understood map at the entry trailhead, Ideally, trails and choices of paths and
direction should be identified in terms of length and time (average adult). It
may help to mark distances on the trails. North arrows help at key orientation
points and help to teach orienteering.
Interpretation: “Interpretation” is the art of telling stories about a place.
Interpretive trails are normally marked with numbers that help identify
things to see.
Universal design: Interpretive trails and stations that invite public use
should be designed according to principles of universal
design, accessible and welcoming to all people of all ages and abilities.
Providing an accessible “sensory trail” near parking is ideal to encourage
easy use.
Mystery and delight: The experience of the natural world provides a
unique experience of physical and spiritual renewal.
TYPES OF TRAIL LAYOUT
THE WORLD GREAT STREETS
La Rambla, Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona based ‘La Rambla’ street is among the Europe’s most iconic streets. The
street that is always flooded with the horde of tourists & locals is Spain’s busiest
street. Ample number of shops, cafes, restaurants, bars & unique street-performers
always manage to attract people in any season. This street connects ‘Placa de
Catalunya’ & Port Vell’s ‘Christopher Columbus Monument’ & is reckoned as the
Europe’s best-loved street!
Champs Elysees, Paris, France

Regarded as the most beautiful street

in the World, ‘Champs Elysees’
street carries the aroma of the
graceful Paris. This 1.91 km long
avenue is a major tourist destination
that proudly flaunts luxurious shops,
cafes, cinemas & unique lush green
‘Horse-Chestnut’ trees. It is also
reckoned as the most expensive
streets of real estate in the world.
Nevsky Prospekt, St. Petersburg, Russia

Planned by ‘Peter the Great,’ St. Petersburg was, once upon a time an iconic home city
of mighty ‘Tsars.’ Outstanding Cathedrals, majestic palaces & other historic structures
have given a regal & a grand look to this city. ‘Nevsky Prospekt’ undoubtedly,
Russia’s proud possession that narrates the anecdotes of Russia’s glorious past & the
sturdy presence!
Piccadilly Circus, London, UK

Piccadilly Circus’ comes in the elite

class of London’s most favored tourist
destinations. ‘Piccadilly Circus’ is
basically a grand junction, from which
various streets going to different parts
of the city originates. Every street
originating from Piccadilly has its own
beauty & unique features due to which,
tourists just can’t constrain themselves
from boarding into iconic double-
decker buses of London to get the
majestic view of these fantastic streets!
Plenty of nightclubs, cinemas, cafes,
grand monuments & restaurants are
potent enough to make every single
tourist fall in its love!
Via Doloroso, Jerusalem

‘Via Doloroso,’ unlike all other streets mentioned here, is associated with the religious
fact & is considered as the sacred place of ‘Catholic Pilgrimage’! ‘Via Doloroso,’ which
means ‘Way of Sorrows’ or ‘Way of Suffering’ in Latin, is the same street traced by
‘Jesus Christ,’ carrying his cross, when he was on the way to the ‘Crucifixion.’ Every
year, flocks of pilgrims gather here & walk along the path that begins from the ‘Antonia
Fortress’ to pay a tribute to the holy Christ!
Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City, Mexico

Mexico’s grand street is hugely

inspired by the regal avenues in the
Europe. ‘Paseo de la Reforma’ is
among the most famous streets in the
American continents. The street
features the nation’s ‘National Palace’
& landmarks such as ‘El Angel de la
Independencia’ along with luxurious
hotels, cafes & restaurants.
 Broadway, New York City, USA

Broodway is the oldest street in the USA that houses the most important theatre district
in the entire city. Spread across north-south, this street runs through the vital sections of
the city such as ‘Central Park’ & also holds the important structures like ‘Morgan
Stanley’ building, ‘Woolworth’ building, ‘Grand Central Hotel’ & ‘Trinity Church!’ A
walk down the Broadway completes the tour of NYC!
Las Vegas Strip, Nevada, USA

This street comes alive at night as it gets

illuminated by magnificent lighting & jaw-
dropping ‘Bellagio’ fountain. This strip is
probably the best illuminated strip in the
world & is also known as the ‘Gambling
Paradise.’ The use of humongous
architectures of the giant casinos, largest
hotels, resorts, spas & nightclubs are the
most striking features of this strip. Fifteen
out of world’s 25 largest hotels by room
count, totaling over 62,000 rooms dwell on
this strip.
Nanjing Road, Shanghai, China

Nanjing Road is perhaps China’s most famous & the world’s longest shopping street,
always flooded with flocks of shopping enthusiasts. The road stretches up to 6 km & is
strewn with literally everything- from antiques to boutiques & from hawkers to huge
shopping malls. It is also studded with an unending assortment of hotels & restaurants.
Every year, roughly more than one million people enjoy the stroll through this staggering
Chinese boulevard.
 Via Appia- Italy

Via Appia’ is among the earliest roads

in the Italy as it was made in the early
ages of the mighty Roman Empire!
Although, only a smaller section of the
path is used today, the remaining
quarter is in ruins that attract the
majority of the tourists. Walking on the
street that once upon a time was paved
& used by the greatest Empire in the
world is certainly a thrilling experience!