Street hierarchy: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:58, 3 June 2021

Revision as of 21:57, 10 December 2021

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===Pedestrian denigration===

[[New Urbanism|New Urbanists]] decry the street hierarchy's deleterious effects on pedestrian travel, which is made easy and pleasant within the subdivision but is virtually impossible outside it. Residential subdivisions usually have no pedestrian connections between themselves and adjacent commercial areas, and are often separated from them by high masonry walls intended to block noise. New Urbanist writers like [[Andres Duany]] and [[James Howard Kunstler]] often point out the absurd nature of car trips forced by the street hierarchy: while a grocery store may be less than a quarter-mile distant physically from a given home in a subdivision, the barriers to pedestrian travel presented by the street hierarchy mean that getting a gallon of milk requires a car trip of a mile or more in each direction. [[Jane Jacobs]], among other commentators, has gone so far as to say that modern suburban design—of which the street hierarchy is the key component—is a major factor in the sedentary lifestyle of today's children.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603161424/http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/28/health-sedentary-cities-forbeslife-cx_rr_1029health.html|title=America's Most Sedentary Cities - Forbes|website=[[Forbes]]|date=June 3, 2016|websitearchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603161424/http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/28/health-sedentary-cities-forbeslife-cx_rr_1029health.html|archive-date=2016-06-03}}</ref> [[Mass transit]] advocates contend that the street hierarchy's denigration of pedestrian traffic also reduces the viability of public transportation in areas where it prevails, sharply curtailing the mobility of those who do not own cars or cannot drive them, such as disabled persons, teenagers, and the elderly.

===Traffic issues===