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Largo, Florida, requires landscaped buffers between off- ridor. Proposed planting schemes and median treatments
<br /> street parking areas and the right-of-way line of selected are contained in the study's recommendations.
<br /> corridors in the community. Using a performance ap-
<br /> proach, the city's ordinance establishes minimum perim- PEDESTRIAN AMENITIES AND STREEETSCAPE
<br /> •
<br /> eter planting standards according to the width of the IMPROVEMENTS
<br /> buffer strip. A 15-foot-wide, 100-foot-long strip, for exam- Since commercial corridors evolved to accommodate the
<br /> pie, would require the installation of two canopy trees, automobile, it's not surprising that pedestrian amenities
<br /> four understory trees, and six shrubs. By doubling the are virtually nonexistent within the typical commercial
<br /> width of the perimeter area to 30 feet, however, the ordi- roadway corridor. Some people do still walk, bike, and
<br /> nance permits a 60 percent reduction in the amount of take the bus, however, and the importance of accom-
<br /> required landscape planting. modating these groups and encouraging these types of
<br /> Perhaps more than any other single roadside feature, travel should not be overlooked by planners.
<br /> trees can define the character of a roadway corridor. Bril- The need for pedestrian improvements and street fur-
<br /> liant site plans and architectural designs for individual nishings will differ among corridors. Recognizing this fact,
<br /> projects can be lost in the din of corridorwide develop- consultants working on corridor design guidelines for the
<br /> ment activity. Lush plantings and landscape features will Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto, a regional author-
<br /> improve the appearance of selected points along the cor- ity comprised of six different municipalities, developed
<br /> ridor, but they do little to lend a sense of cohesiveness an innovative design matrix to be used in evaluating
<br /> to an entire stretch of roadway. By providing scale, tex- appropriate streetscape improvements.According to Jody
<br /> Lure, and color to the entire length of the corridor, trees Rosenblatt and Gary Heine,authors of the Toronto study,
<br /> can unify the diverse elements that make up the corridor the need to accommodate multiple jurisdications,combined
<br /> visual experience. with the complexity of developing workable guidelines
<br /> Design guidelines contained in the Carlsbad, Califor- for the more than 720 kilometers of arterial streets in the
<br /> nia, Scenic Corridor Study call for the planting of native region, led to the development of the new design decision-
<br /> trees along selected roadways as a means of enhancing making tool.
<br /> the visual rhythm of corridor areas. Tree plantings are The matrix developed by the team in response to that
<br /> recommended for both public and private property along challenge was based on the concept that adjacent land uses
<br /> corridors. In an attempt to emphasize unified design and roadway "character" are the chief determinants of
<br /> themes for different roadways, the plan identifies both appropriate corridor design.(See Table 1.)Three categories
<br /> "theme" trees and "support" trees for each individual cor- of roads are defined in the study.
<br /> joir;:are
<br /> PedestrStreets are characterized by slow traffic
<br /> speeds, narrow rights-of-way, and large volumes of
<br /> pedestrian traffic over the course of the day. Cars park
<br /> r /G. '01W.'1,%-.Lir l� along the curb and street-to-sidewalk access is in high
<br /> I / ,� VL►I,��. !`l • demand. The scale is 1-to-1 (vertical to horizontal),
<br /> ia�;%`iii:/-%•'.:• '-��;� dye-' and the overall feeling is that of a downtown/urban
<br /> � � ���' %
<br /> Ø ;/ '_ .
<br /> i ! I,I`' %/, .• +1:':;;11�' fit landscape.
<br /> 01 .loriri.+y
<br /> 1,1,4 A-iF jii ,#„,,,,J.,1,16,471:,' -,',,N 0--dol
<br /> •, ,- , ,,,,As.v,,v„t/ /, 1,1 0 ,1,11,,,4.s.,_ ..
<br /> 4,4 --Jr „,__y- -i,,-,7,-7,. .:.:#4.1.44, ., ,11,11/,m, 7; ..
<br /> 4.7% ,� /n? y,,...„, ...,„ ,.... „.„,. / l',��� ;iI!l
<br /> , - ,„ , ,,,,,, ,,,- 5Air ,$ ` „ ,,� n6i,.ij/,ll,
<br /> The Carlsbad, California, Scenic ` •pa� % / 14,r
<br /> Corridor Design Guidelines r e�v�n /
<br /> a i r "' - i Carol
<br /> contain recommended design i=�/r , i 0,CITY Q-/ ,! Pi'amcV
<br /> schemes for a number of routes in yze.vane
<br /> the community. The guidelines ,z eaf/e d I ' • ,1 to
<br /> H�s�
<br /> recommend appropriate tree 4 Pasee47 y i AltJplantings(opposite)and other }� ,R*friw er• A ;
<br /> landscape features based on the zur �* �" ���'II�ji
<br /> iiii�
<br /> existing character of area '1r'F •F l �y _.R3h- !tjg�lna it/O�r1 �
<br /> roadways. Recommended ��. , µ
<br /> • entryway design elements(above 2'y+" , , //.."'deep
<br /> and right)are also included in the 9-//(M
<br /> plan. (Source: CYP, Inc.)
<br /> 11
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