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BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT
DRAFT - AUGUST 2011
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SIDEWALKS
Principles Sidewalk Zones Sidewalk Width Chart Sidewalks by Boston’s Street Types Features to Activate Sidewalks Sidewalk Materials Greenscape Street Trees Vegetated Stormwater Management Street Furniture Transit Stops Street Lights
BOSTON COMPLETE STREETS GUIDELINES
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SIDEWALKS
TK
TK
II.
TK
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TK
TK
TK
TK
BOSTON COMPLETE STREETS GUIDELINES
TK
TK
DRAFT - JULY 2011
BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT
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Sidewalks by Boston’s Street Types The character of sidewalks can vary widely according to the urban context and street types described in Chapter One. Sidewalks play an important role in helping to define the public realm. The four zones of the sidewalk—the Curb, Greenscape/Furnishing, Pedestrian and Frontage Zones—assume different purposes and varying degrees of prominence in each street type. The following is a discussion of sidewalk design considerations for each of Boston’s new street types.
Wide Pedestrian Zones dominate these streets and accommodate high volumes of mainly office-employee pedestrian traffic. Continuous building facades provide visual interest at groundlevel with the Frontage Zone announcing building entrances and the occasional café. The Greenscape/Furnishing Zone is characterized by formal elements, planters and high-quality finishes as is prominent along Federal and Boylston streets. Public art and wayfinding are featured in the Greenscape/ Furnishing Zone.
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SIDEWALKS
For descriptions of Boston’s Street Types, please see Chapter 1. For how the sidewalks and sidewalk zones relate to street types, see pages TK–TK.
Downtown Commercial
Essex Street
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Neighborhood Main Street
High pedestrian volumes and a correspondingly wide unobstructed zone take center stage on these streets. The Frontage Zone is characterized by lots of variety based on land-use, such as chairs and tables at cafĂŠs, planters at residential entrances, and sidewalk retail spilling out of stores. Typically the Greenscape/Furnishing Zone is narrow and functional. The layered and ever-changing Frontage Zone makes the sidewalks of Downtown Mixed-Use streets stimulating places that encourage pedestrians to linger and interact. Newbury Street and Tremont Street in the South End exemplify this character.
Similar to Downtown Mixed-Use streets, these streets are also characterized by high pedestrian density and a mix of uses on the sidewalk. The overall scale though is smaller than downtown, with typically narrower sidewalks such as those on Dorchester Avenue and along the Centre/South Streets corridor. The focus is on providing access to the many entrances of small-businesses lining the street. The Greenscape/Furnishing Zone should be generous and flexible in order to accommodate holiday events, farmers markets, street fairs, and other community gatherings.
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SIDEWALKS
Downtown Mixed Use
Newbury Street
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BOSTON COMPLETE STREETS GUIDELINES
Dorchester Avenue
DRAFT - JULY 2011
BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT
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Neighborhood Residential
Neighborhood Connectors are characterized by a balancing of the needs of people passing through with those who live and work along the street. Regularly spaced trees and lighting in the Greenscape/Furnishing Zone provide unifying elements to long stretches connecting neighborhoods such as along Hyde Park Avenue. This type of street can have a relatively high volume of pedestrians and often includes transit routes. The Greenscape/Furnishing Zone is a critical buffer between pedestrians and high volume traffic lanes and can also be an opportunity for appropriate stormwater treatment, especially with new tree plantings.
With a slower and less populated sidewalk environment the Pedestrian Zone and Greenscape/Furnishing Zones often work as a single unit on Neighborhood Residential Streets. Visual interest is provided by architectural detail and the range of plant material—trees, ground cover, and planters or gardens on adjacent private property. Stormwater practices can be very small, such as green gutters, or more extensive depending on the nature of the street. Front yards are often primary green element of these streets. Street furniture should be kept to a minimum.
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SIDEWALKS
Neighborhood Connector
Blue Hill Avenue
BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT
Beacon Hill
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Shared Streets
The sidewalks in industrial districts should be utilitarian and uncluttered. Street furniture is mainly limited to street-lighting and other essential elements. There are often significant opportunities for stormwater management along the sidewalk given the generally light level of use they receive. Bollards are useful for protecting pedestrians and street furniture at intersections or where turning vehicles can pose a hazard. Loading docks and driveways that cross the sidewalk must be clearly delineated for pedestrian safety.
The distinction between the zones of the sidewalk, and, for that matter, the distinction between the sidewalk and street, is blurred on Shared Streets. Cross Street is a recently constructed example. Shared Streets can accommodate kiosks, seating, planters and trees, bike parking, and pedestrianscaled lighting in the furnishing zone. Frontage Zone uses such as cafĂŠs and planter boxes can move off of the building face towards the middle of the street. While the width of the Pedestrian Zone can vary along a shared street, there must be a continuous accessible zone along the entire length. Bollards are often used to protect the accessible pedestrian path and subtle changes in materials to differentiate zones.
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SIDEWALKS
Industrial
North Beacon Street
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BOSTON COMPLETE STREETS GUIDELINES
Cross Street
DRAFT - JULY 2011
BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT
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Boulevards
The Greenscape/Furnishing Zone of a parkway is related to the landscape on the back-of-sidewalk as can be experienced along Parkways adjacent to the Emerald Necklace. At the same time, the Pedestrian Zone should be embraced by the parkland. A generous Greenscape/Furnishing Zone accommodates mature trees and provides a buffer to sometimes high-speed motor-vehicle traffic. There are often significant opportunities for stormwater management in the Greenscape/Furnishing on Parkways. Many pedestrian trips are for recreation and relatively long distances.
Boulevards such as Commonwealth Avenue are similar to Parkways in their scale but they are characterized by a strong building edge and continuous rows of trees. The Greenscape/ Furnishing Zone is generally larger than the Pedestrian Zone and the sidewalk is buffered from traffic. Strolling is popular on Boulevards and the Pedestrian Zone should be wide to accommodate groups of people passing each other (perhaps crossing into the Greenscape/Furnishing Zone). Stormwater management systems can incorporate large trees as well as lower vegetation. Street furniture should be formal and belonging to a single style-family to create a unified landscape.
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SIDEWALKS
Parkways
American Legion Parkway
BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT
Commonwealth Avenue
DRAFT - JULY 2011
BOSTON COMPLETE STREETS GUIDELINES
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