The pedestrian mall was a twentieth-century solution to deserted downtown business districts. In the new millennium, pedestrian plazas are helping inner city businesses, as well as making the quality of life better for residents. A plaza is often a smaller, simpler auto-free zone that functions like a mini park and makes walking both safer and more enjoyable.
Every city and town struggles to maintain a vibrant downtown area. People move to the suburbs, and shopping malls lure consumers to their concentrations of stores. Those who do live in downtown areas may find that constant traffic, continuous lines of parked cars, and deserted storefronts make them spend their money in the suburban malls, too. Restricted downtown malls, and the simpler plazas, are designed to make inner city shopping and living more attractive.
A mall often occupies three or four city blocks closed to vehicular traffic. Broad, tree-shaded walks are lined with specialty shops, entertainment venues, and restaurants. Benches make perfect spots to rest or people watch, while every cafe and eatery can offer outside dining. Walking is made pleasant with flower beds and artisan signs, while strolling is safer when there are no cars competing for access. Many of the original malls are still in operation, making downtown a draw to both residents and tourists.
A plaza is a more recent version of this auto-free zone, often smaller in scope and limited to providing a place to sit or stroll. It might be placed at a busy intersection or at the end of a bridge or raised metro line. Many are like mini-parks, with trees and flowers. Some are bordered by shops and restaurants. Others are a section of sidewalk in front of storefronts; street perking is not allowed.
Others may replace a stretch of sidewalk rather than a section of street. New York City has led the way in plaza construction. The city authorities aim to have these small parks in all kinds of neighborhoods, refusing to let them become one more asset of the affluent. The mini-parks are often joint efforts by government, grants, and local businesses.
The cost of creating a plaza is minor compared to the on-going maintenance. The community areas must be kept well-lit, clean, and scenic with well-tended flowerbeds and litter control. The businesses which benefit from increased traffic, because the area is a more pleasant place to be as well as safer, often undertake the cost of maintaining their local plaza.
Cities which are making an effort to improve the quality of life for their inner-city residents include Los Angeles and Detroit, both areas with large populations and problems with failing communities. For little expense (relatively speaking), cities can improve the appearance and the cohesion of depressed neighborhoods, which formerly may have been little more than traffic conduits.
For more information and to see photo galleries of some of the most outstanding plazas, go online. You might even recognize some former eyesores which are now pleasant places for residents and visitors alike. Streets that were once arteries for traffic which sailed through without stopping are now attractive spots where business can flourish and residents can take pride in their communities.
Every city and town struggles to maintain a vibrant downtown area. People move to the suburbs, and shopping malls lure consumers to their concentrations of stores. Those who do live in downtown areas may find that constant traffic, continuous lines of parked cars, and deserted storefronts make them spend their money in the suburban malls, too. Restricted downtown malls, and the simpler plazas, are designed to make inner city shopping and living more attractive.
A mall often occupies three or four city blocks closed to vehicular traffic. Broad, tree-shaded walks are lined with specialty shops, entertainment venues, and restaurants. Benches make perfect spots to rest or people watch, while every cafe and eatery can offer outside dining. Walking is made pleasant with flower beds and artisan signs, while strolling is safer when there are no cars competing for access. Many of the original malls are still in operation, making downtown a draw to both residents and tourists.
A plaza is a more recent version of this auto-free zone, often smaller in scope and limited to providing a place to sit or stroll. It might be placed at a busy intersection or at the end of a bridge or raised metro line. Many are like mini-parks, with trees and flowers. Some are bordered by shops and restaurants. Others are a section of sidewalk in front of storefronts; street perking is not allowed.
Others may replace a stretch of sidewalk rather than a section of street. New York City has led the way in plaza construction. The city authorities aim to have these small parks in all kinds of neighborhoods, refusing to let them become one more asset of the affluent. The mini-parks are often joint efforts by government, grants, and local businesses.
The cost of creating a plaza is minor compared to the on-going maintenance. The community areas must be kept well-lit, clean, and scenic with well-tended flowerbeds and litter control. The businesses which benefit from increased traffic, because the area is a more pleasant place to be as well as safer, often undertake the cost of maintaining their local plaza.
Cities which are making an effort to improve the quality of life for their inner-city residents include Los Angeles and Detroit, both areas with large populations and problems with failing communities. For little expense (relatively speaking), cities can improve the appearance and the cohesion of depressed neighborhoods, which formerly may have been little more than traffic conduits.
For more information and to see photo galleries of some of the most outstanding plazas, go online. You might even recognize some former eyesores which are now pleasant places for residents and visitors alike. Streets that were once arteries for traffic which sailed through without stopping are now attractive spots where business can flourish and residents can take pride in their communities.
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