Pearl Street Pedestrian Mall

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We visited family in Boulder last year and I was pleasantly surprised by the Pearl Street pedestrian mall. The pedestrian friendly street design invites families and young kids to the space, which makes it a dynamic space, full of life and a great urban center. I think it is a great example of bringing play into our everyday environments and giving young people a place to be in our cities. RE:Streets did a great article on it. Some of favorite parts are quoted below. The street was designed by MIG with lots of support by the community.

“In the 1960’s as shopping malls were springing up across the country, a group of forward-thinking citizens owning property and working in downtown Boulder began to look for ways to keep the historic center of the City of Boulder attractive and economically sound.” Now that is forward thinking! Especially because they opted to remove cars unlike the rest of the country that went to larger stores and bigger parking lots.

kids-playing

image from http://www.liddlekidz.com/boulder-denver-colorado.html

 

“The idea to build a child-friendly environment came from CommArts. We wanted to create a space that signaled to kids that it was a place to play and be animated.” Richard Foy, Principle, Communication Arts

from MIG

image from MIG http://www.migcom.com/

 

I think this is an interesting example of play and risk. These boulders are not placed as though they are playground equipment. There is no ‘use zone’ with impact attenuating surface. But, there are kids climbing and jumping all over them. It would be interesting to see the injury report(s). I bet the obvious possibility of injury makes parents stay closer and makes kids more careful. It is a good long standing example of nature play in a public setting that does not meet all of the playground safety guidelines. But, it creates a play environment that is publicly accepted as usable and safe.

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image from www.boulderrealestatenews.com

 

8 MIG

image from MIG http://www.migcom.com/

 

BoulderPearlStreetMall200103

image from http://arcimaging.org/AtaturkUniversity/BoulderPearlStreetMall200103.jpg

 

“Children’s amenities bring business to the pedestrian mall. Core demographic of the local businesses is young and middle-aged mothers, who bring their kids to play and then do some shopping while they are there.” Eli Madrone, Downtown Boulder Business Improvement District

 

Lessons Learned (from Re:Street)
Potential Benefits:

  • Provide pedestrian-only streets.
  • Include public art, such as interactive structures.
  • Increase business at nearby businesses.
  • Have a specific policy toward creating child-friendly spaces.

Potential Issues:

  • Initial merchants’ fears that taking away parking will be harmful to business must be addressed.
  • The responsibility for maintaining facilities must be determined.
  • Cost is a issue.
  • A pedestrian mall is most appropriate on commercial streets.