==== ====
Want to make your own beats? Check this Out!
http://tinyurl.com/urbanBEATSareCool
==== ====
Imagine a vibrant urban streetscape. People walk the wide sidewalks, window shopping and going
from store to store. Sidewalk cafe's and restaurants are packed with happy customers watching
the passing streams of people, sipping latte's, chatting and laughing with friends or texting and
tapping away on their favorite portable device. Other locations feature laughing patrons sipping a
beer or savoring a fine wine while enjoying a tasty morsel of sushi or cheese. Sidewalk vendors
and artists proudly display their wares as the crowds of people ebb and flow as the day moves on.
At night, the scenery and tempo changes as the nightlife gains dominance over the tempo of the
day crowd. Nightclubs and bars fill up with dancing, laughing people, swaying to the beat of their
favorite DJ, cheering on their favorite sports team or scoring points in the eternal game of
romance.
This is the essence of a dynamic, successful streetscape which urban planners often miss while
others sometimes come close. Some locations seem to generate this dynamic almost by accident,
while several locations have achieved this vibrancy intentionally.
The urban streetscape is characterized primarily by two dominant features: One, the number of
people visiting the streetscape throughout the hours of the day and throughout the days of the
year and Two, the number of people that live within a walking distance of the street. Of these two
characteristics, the former is a result of the latter. And it is this latter point which many urban
planners neglect.
A successful urban core features numerous visitors strolling the sidewalks and exploring the
sidewalks and shops, restaurants and nightclubs, spending their money along the street. The
success of a city core depends on several features, each of which must be present for the
intangible dynamic of a successful streetscape to occur.
These features include wide, user friendly sidewalks, narrow one or two lane streets, small, human
scale establishments, friendly police presence, density of residential population within walking
distance, total population within walking distance, density of residential population within one mile,
total population within one mile, exteriorly oriented establishments, ease of public access, safe
and secure parking and hours of operation. Additional features help to leverage these essential
characteristics and provide for a greater vibrancy. These two additional features are the presence
of sidewalk vendors and artists and light rail or subway access.
Several of these features bear further clarification. Small, human scale establishments refers to
shops and stores scaled to the human presence. They should not be imposing nor grandiose, but
rather be of a size and scale that typifies the comfort and walkable scale of people. Each
establishment must be of a size which is comfortable to view, walk and browse. Exteriorly oriented
establishments is the moniker used to identify the orientation and signage of the shops and stores
along the street. Each facility must bear in mind that the pedestrian traffic along the street is
literally where the money is and its store orientation and signage must reflect this fact.
Hours of operation covers all the establishments within the urban core and refers to the hours that
each shop or store is open as well as the number of days a year that the majority of facilities along
the street are open. Most successful urban streetscapes feature facilities that are open from
approximately 8AM or earlier to late at night, often 1 or 2 AM. Generally, these successful urban
centers are available to customers 365 days a year. This produces the necessary tempo of activity
a dynamic, exciting and vibrant streetscape requires.
A friendly police presence helps people to feel safe and secure, prevents minor theft and crime
and provides the sense of security necessary for a safe and secure environment. Police must be
trained in customer service and crowd control as well as the usual police training. plus have
knowledge of the area to provide helpful directions and advice to visiting tourists and visitors.
Light rail and or subway access is not a necessary component of a successful cityscape but helps
to leverage and magnify the effects of the components which are required.
A dynamic streetscape presents a quality of life that only an urban lifestyle can promise. A vibrant
urban center provides people with the excitement of city living with the scale of a small town.
Living near such a location is one of the better benefits of urban life.
Perry Jones is a successful author and urban philosopher.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Perry_Jones
==== ====
Want to make your own beats? Check this Out!
http://tinyurl.com/urbanBEATSareCool
==== ====