Despite Our Best Intentions with Street Frontages

Automobiles are undeniably a significant part of American life. Consequently, accommodating them with roadways and parking lots has come to dominate much of the American built environment, often prioritizing convenience over aesthetics. In an effort to promote desirable outcomes like walkability and the revival of traditional commercial corridors, planners have tried to legislate specific design requirements. They can mandate that developers place parking lots behind buildings, construct structures closer to the road, ensure a certain percentage of window frontage (fenestration), and provide doors and walkways accessible from the street—all to encourage pedestrian use.

However, we can’t compel businesses to utilize these spaces as intended. More often than not, a tenant’s main entrance remains on the side where vehicles are parked. It’s unfortunate that we can’t recreate authentic Main Streets anymore; most new developments are merely strip malls disguised as urbanism. Too often, the street-side entrances are closed off to pedestrians and "this is not an entrance" is all too common signage.

Take several examples from communities near me: