4. Walkable Spaces

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8 Design Principles Used in Creating Social Spaces 

Walkable Spaces

Making walkable spaces and connections to places for people is another principle.  This is a foundational principle for creating opportunities for people to connect where they live and work and play.

Rendering of development in Richmond California

As people walk from space to space the opportunity is provided for them to connect and experience life together with those around them.  Like minded people can meet but also people who would not normally meet who are not alike or like minded.  They casually meet and find that they have more in common they they thought or that they have interest in the other person and what they do.  It helps people meet as they brush shoulders walking by or sitting between home and connected amenities.

Walkable includes house door connections to parking, public sidewalks, streets, and connection to the spaces where people want to go.  By connecting houses right up to their front door and having the front door near to public spaces, such as the street, it increases the opportunity for people to interact thus fosters more community relationship opportunity.

Mixed use development often enhances the walkable principle.  The mixed use might be residential mixed with work, parks, amenities, stores, and food choices.  It would include private and public spaces,  single and multi family homes.

The walkable principle also includes recreational interests in walking, jogging, biking, and other options.  

And if you connect to spaces where people can do more organized social recreation and or classes you continue to provide opportunity to connect people together.

All of these elements could help create social connections where people meet and do these things near one another or even together.

This walkable principle works hand in hand with the principles of providing activation for spaces; things for people to do as they leave their homes.  Bridging the connections between the activation spaces and public spaces and private spaces and making them walkable.

Accessibility is another way to discuss both this principle and the public private space principle.  Giving people opportunity and equal access between their homes and work and amenities they need.