In a pictorial essay, Mark Byrnes chronicles the uneven legacy of 50 years of pedestrian malls, and the uncertain future for a redevelopment tool that has been derided in some cities and celebrated in others.
As the movement for complete streets gains momentum across the country, and streets that solely facilitated the flow of automobiles are being redesigned to accommodate a variety of modes, it seems like a good time to consider whether streets conceived of solely for pedestrians should also be rethought.
Byrnes traces the genesis of America's pedestrian malls to the building of the Kalamazoo Mall, designed by no less than enclosed mall pioneer Victor Gruen. Although the fate of Kalamazoo's mall, which became a sore spot with residents and was reopened to traffic in 1998, was shared by many cities and towns who experimented with the concept, success stories such as the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica and Miami's Lincoln Road Mall muddy the pedestrian mall's legacy.
Byrnes has assembled a slide show of some of the remaining pedestrian malls in cities across the country, such as Sacramento, Boulder, and Charlottesville, Virginia.
Read the full story: The Uncertain Legacy of America's Pedestrian Malls
Study: Midblock pedestrian crossings are more common than we think
One in six crossings in the study took place outside of a marked crosswalk.
Saratoga Springs bike advocates say city is ignoring its Complete Streets plan
Despite a commitment to improving its multimodal infrastructure, the city has no plans to install bike lanes or curb cuts as part of repaving projects on two streets.
Boston budget proposal kills funding for dozens of road safety projects
Mayor Wu's FY2027 budget eliminates or reduces funding for multiple unbuilt street safety projects.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
US buildings threatened, destroyed by fires set to triple by 2060
Researchers found a high fire risk for socioeconomically vulnerable neighborhoods in the American West.
LA residents may be allowed to paint their own crosswalks
Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky put out a motion instructing the Los Angeles Department of Public Transportation to study the feasibility of allowing volunteers to paint crosswalks.
Dallas moves to overhaul its zoning code
The city's zoning reform will allow more multi-family and mixed-use developments.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority