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Sid

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SII.

Sid

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SII.

Downtown Commercial

Downtown Mixed Use

Neighborhood Main

Neighborhood Connector

Neighborhood Residential

Industrial Street

Shared Street

Parkway

Boulevard

12’

8’

10’

8’

5’

5’

N/A

6’

6’

6’

6’

6’

5’

5’

5’

N/A

10’

10’

2’

2’

2’

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

2’

Pedestrian zonearea specifically reserved for pedestrian travel.

Frontage zoneThe Frontage Zone only applies to locations with buildings adjacent to the sidewalk.

Curb zonearea between the edge of the roadway and green-scape zone

Greenscape/Furnishing zone

area between the top of the curb and the front edge of the walkway

May accommodate

Notes

May accommodate

Notes

Notes

May accommodate Notes

Proposed street elements must comply with city permitting requirements and design criteria

Not needed if sidewalk corridor is adjacent to a landscaped space

> Only pedestrians

> width should be comfortable for anticipated use > well-lit and weather-proof > Surface should be smooth, stable, slip-resistant, and should have minimal gaps, rough surfaces and vibration-causing features.

> Concrete or granite > Should not be “rolled” > More extensively covered in other chapters, includ-ing curbside manage-ment (XX) and drainage (XX)

The americans with disabilities act requires a 4’ clear width in the pedestrian zone plus 5’ every 200’ to allow wheelchairs to pass each other.

The width and design of sidewalks will vary depending on street typology, functional classification, and demand. Below are the City of Boston’s preferred widths of each sidewalk zone according to street type:

The greenscape zone should provide maximum buffer between pedestrians and street traffic.

Preferred Width for Sidewalk Zones

designing balanced sidewalk zone widths on Boston’s space-constrained street grid focuses on providing a continuous system of safe, accessible pathways for pedestrians on both sides of all streets where walking is permitted. Sidewalks should keep as much as possible to the natural path of travel, parallel to the roadway. ideally, they will be located in a position that naturally aligns with crosswalks at intersections. it may be desirable in some locations for the pedestrian zone to curve to form a more direct route to an in-tersecting walkway, to preserve significant trees, or to provide a greater degree of separation between the sidewalk and the roadway for a distance. Sidewalks immediately adjacent to high-volume pedestrian generators require special consideration. This includes sidewalks adjacent to transit stations, universities, major tourism and entertainment venues, and other similar loca-tions. appropriate sidewalk widths should be determined in consultation with the City of Boston, taking into consideration anticipated pedestrian volumes, ridership projections (for transit locations), right-of-way width, and the locations of bus shelters and transfer points. Most of Boston’s streets have considerable right-of-way constraints and the preferred widths will not always be achievable. when design requires judgment calls as to how to allocate street/sidewalk space, the following principles should be used: Curb Zone

> in the City of Boston all curbs are typically made of granite and are 6” wide with a 6” vertical reveal.

Greenscape/Furnishing Zone > Vertical objects in the Greenscape/Furnishing Zone should be set back a minimum of 18” from the face of the street curb to allow for access and prevent damage to vehicles on the street as well as greenscape elements and furniture.

Pedestrian Zone > The americans with disabilities act requires a mini-mum 4’ clear width in the pedestrian zone (plus 5’of width every 200’ to allow wheelchairs to pass each other).

> in constrained conditions, provide a minimum 5’ wide pedestrian zone on Boulevards, Parkways, Neighborhood Residential, and industrial street types, and an 8’ wide pedestrian zone on downtown Commercial, downtown Mixed-use, Neighborhood Main, and Neighborhood Connector street types.

> Sidewalk cafe > Store entrance > Retail display > landscaping

> Street furniture > art/landscaping

> Utility access > Transit zone

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