The Street Ballet
Jane Jacobs beautifully describes the street as an "intricate ballet in which the... distinctive parts which miraculously reinforce each other and compose an orderly whole."
This idea of a street, humming with seemingly synchronized activity creates a wonderful image of a thriving, safe, and inviting urban landscape. This bustle of activity sharply contrasts with the video of the streets of Jerusalem, barren of any activity, unless it is that of a member of the resistance being attacked by the soldiers hidden in the surrounding buildings.
How an we ensure that our streets are utilized in this intricate ballet ensemble rather than becoming a barren landscape, laden with crime and fear?
In the image below, different events take place within the street itself, whether it is a yoga class, farmers' market, etc. How can these types of events or other outlets happen recurrently to maintain the ballet performance of the street?
This idea of a street, humming with seemingly synchronized activity creates a wonderful image of a thriving, safe, and inviting urban landscape. This bustle of activity sharply contrasts with the video of the streets of Jerusalem, barren of any activity, unless it is that of a member of the resistance being attacked by the soldiers hidden in the surrounding buildings.
How an we ensure that our streets are utilized in this intricate ballet ensemble rather than becoming a barren landscape, laden with crime and fear?
In the image below, different events take place within the street itself, whether it is a yoga class, farmers' market, etc. How can these types of events or other outlets happen recurrently to maintain the ballet performance of the street?
I think it has a lot to do with the street scape. The image you show here is, of course, filled with people because of an activity. But based on the tree lining the road, the limited lanes of traffic, and the human scale the buildings seem to have, I think it would be a populated street even without the yoga class. Trees give the pedestrian a sense of nature, fewer lanes encourage slower traffic, and storefronts encourage walking. I think these are steps taken in the right direction for the "ballet" you are describing.
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