Elevated Sidewalks? (Baltimore, Detroit, park, build)

[knowledgeiskey]

Are they possible?

[progmac]

sure they are possible. levitating sidewalks, on the other hand, remain just out of reach.

[AJNEOA]

Originally Posted by knowledgeiskey

Are they possible?

Sure they are, but a couple of questions/comments:

1. Would stores and restaurants be elevated? If so, why don't we just recess streets?

2. I imagine that accidental deaths would increase. People falling into the streets might be more common.

3. How would I get to my car parked on the street? I suppose there would need to be a ton of staircases? At least one on each block?

4. What would the benefit of elevated sidewalks be?

[nep321]

This idea is just plain stupid lol. Unless the destination (store, bank, restaurant, etc) is elevated, you will still have to walk on the ground level to get to the entrance.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by knowledgeiskey

Are they possible?

baltimore had an elevated walkway going from Charles Center to the inner harbor. It passed through building in some spots, and reacher the harbor at the second floor of the shopping mall. In some ways it was handy, cause you could easily get over some heavily trafficed streets, but its isolation, especially at the Charles Center end, made it kind of a safety issue. I think they tore down the northern end, but left the southern end, which makes it easier to get across Pratt and Light to the harbor.

all in all, an idea of limited usefulness

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Originally Posted by brooklynborndad

baltimore had an elevated walkway going from Charles Center to the inner harbor. It passed through building in some spots, and reacher the harbor at the second floor of the shopping mall. In some ways it was handy, cause you could easily get over some heavily trafficed streets, but its isolation, especially at the Charles Center end, made it kind of a safety issue. I think they tore down the northern end, but left the southern end, which makes it easier to get across Pratt and Light to the harbor.

all in all, an idea of limited usefulness

Still there, serving a mostly vacant Charles Center. Occasionally useful.

[beachmouse]

You get elevated enclosed 'skyway' systems in some Midwestern/Prairie cities hard hit by winter-Minneapolis, Calgary, Detroit and the like. But it requires pretty significant urban density before they start making sense.

[HandsUpThumbsDown]

Seems pretty detrimental to street-level retail too, if you ask me.

[brooklynborndad]

Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown

Still there, serving a mostly vacant Charles Center. Occasionally useful.

then it was just some (or only one) of the branches - I am virtually certain at least some of it was torn down near CC, at least as far back as the early 90's.

[brooklynborndad]

a ha!

http://www.mdoe.org/urbanrenewinnerharb.html

and oh yeah, that reminds me of the walkway entrance to the Hamburger's mens store.