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Gateways
| Landscaping
| Specific
Paving Treatments
Complementary
Tools
Landscaping
The careful use of landscaping along a street can provide separation between motorists and pedestrians, reduce the visual width of the roadway (which can help to reduce vehicle speeds), and provide a more pleasant street environment for all. This can include a variety of trees, bushes, and/or flower pots, which can be planted in the buffer area between the sidewalk or walkway and the street.
The most significant issue with any landscaping scheme is ongoing maintenance. Some communities have managed effectively through the volunteer efforts of neighbors, while others have found them to be unreliable and budget for public maintenance instead. Consider adding irrigation systems in areas with extensive planting.
Choosing appropriate plants and preparing the ground can help ensure that they survive with minimal maintenance, and don’t buckle the sidewalks as they mature. The following guidelines should be considered: plants should be adapted to the local climate and fit the character of the surrounding area - they should survive without protection or intensive irrigation; and plant’s growth patterns should not obscure signs or pedestrians’ and motorists’ views of each other.
Landscaping with low shrubs, ground cover
and mature trees that are properly limbed can add shade, color and
visual interest to a street.
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The material provided on this page is from the FHWA publication
"Pedestrian Facilities User Guide." This guide is currently under review
by practicioners and others in the field. Subsequently, the material
provided on this page is subject to change in the future.
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Purpose:
• Enhance the street environment.
• Traffic calm by creating a visual narrowing of the roadway
and presenting an image of the street that is one of a place rather
than a through route.
Considerations:
• Maintenance must be considered and agreed to up front, whether
it is a municipality or neighborhood residents who will take responsibility
for the maintenance.
• Shrubs should be low growing and trees should be trimmed up
at least eight to ten feet to ensure sight distances are maintained
and personal security is not compromised.
• Plants and trees should be chosen with care to match the character
of the area, be easily maintained, and not create other problems such
as buckling sidewalks.
Estimated Cost:
Opportunities for funding landscaping are often more flexible than
with major street changes. For example, the cost of the actual landscaping
may be paid for by the corresponding neighborhood or business groups.
Often, municipalities will pay for the initial installation and neighborhood
residents or businesses agree to maintain anything more elaborate
than basic street trees.
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