Tod Newcombe reports on pedestrian-only malls like Buffalo's, which after 25 years has been so unsuccessful that they want to turn it back into a road. So why are these ped malls failing?
Newcombe explains that many of these early pedestrian-only malls were "ill-planned and had little purpose":
"Because so few people lived downtown, the malls became lifeless after work, attracting crime and loiterers, rather than large crowds. According to some estimates, of all the pedestrian malls that have dotted American cities in past years, fewer than 15 percent remain today."
That doesn't mean that ped-only malls can't work, says Newcombe.
FULL STORY: The Trouble with Pedestrian Malls
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This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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