Okamoto
Almost the entire area between the two stations is a pedestrian-priority shopping zone. It is somewhat of a “University Village”, with many cafes and shops catering to students of several nearby colleges. Continue reading Okamoto
Category: narrow streets
S.L.O.W. feels fast (Single Lane One Way)
A single one way lane provides total vehicular access, while maximizing the space available for city life. Continue reading S.L.O.W. feels fast (Single Lane One Way)
The “Nagoya Corner”
…there is a simple way to virtually eliminate wrong-way turns… Continue reading The “Nagoya Corner”
Additional Readings: Narrow Streets
Related Books/Theses: “Tight Urbanism” by Daniel Tool. “Neo Medieval Urbanism” by Angela Rose Bagnasco Related Excerpts: 4. Small, tight streets work great, and so do wide streets, if designed right. Walking through the Gothic Quarter, one can’t help but think of everything we see in terms of scale. The tight streets and alleys with high, enclosing building heights that, combined with the street widths, … Continue reading Additional Readings: Narrow Streets
Walking in Kamakura
The walkability of central Kamakura is defined by three north-south spines: The Komachi-Dori Shotengai (nighttime walk-through video) Car-free Hokoten every day from 4 pm to 7 pm (Sundays and holidays 10 am to 4 pm). Stretches 590 meters (1,940 feet) north from Kamakura Station (JR East and Enoshima/Enoden lines) to Hachimangu Shrine. The Onari-Dori Shotengai (daytime walk-through video) Car-free Hokoten every day from 4 pm … Continue reading Walking in Kamakura
The Shibuya You Don’t Know
Stock photos and televised clips of Shibuya usually depict only the iconic scramble intersection, but there is a lot more to this central Tokyo neighborhood. In fact, in Shibuya’s liveliest commercial districts, you never have to wait to cross the street (these are the “Nightlife Alleys” described in The Hierarchy of Japanese Streets). The following screenshots from Walking in Shibuya at night by Rambalac reveal a true pedestrian … Continue reading The Shibuya You Don’t Know
Island of Walkability: Onomichi (尾道)
Most of the commercial life of Onomichi is concentrated in a compact strip about 6,400 feet long, varying from ~200 to ~1,000 feet in width. The fully roofed (アーケード) portion of Onomichi’s central shopping street (商店街) is about 3,000 feet long. This commercial core is separated from the waterfront by two lanes of traffic (one lane in each direction) with a relatively high speed limit (40 … Continue reading Island of Walkability: Onomichi (尾道)
What I learned from #StreetOfTheDay
A Tribute to the photo collections of N. Lewis and D. Boxall My bad habit is looking at pictures of beautiful streets. I can stare at them for hours in a state of total wonderment. Because they feel comfortable, safe, welcoming, alive… and nobody seems to know why. But recently, I began to notice a pattern; the best streets all fit the same basic form with regard … Continue reading What I learned from #StreetOfTheDay
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