Charlottesville, Virginia
East Main Street
 

      
A typical view
      of the pedestrian mall, showing the stately brick storefronts
      that dominate East Main Street, and the leisurely street scene
      on a typical warm summer afternoon.

      


      
 The narrow
      brick gutter (above) roughly defines what used to be the edge
      of the sidewalk, before the pedestrian mall was built. Almost
      all of the original sidewalk width is now devoted to outdoor
      dining and seating, store displays and other street furniture.

      
 

      
 Over nearly
      30 years, the center of the pedestrian mall has been transformed
      from a paved street to a "village green", with a nearly
      continuous mature tree canopy that provides welcome shade and
      cool along the mall. Though originally installed with mortar,
      the brick paver system is leaking enough to allow stormwater
      to permeate to the soil below, helping ensure healthy trees and
      reducing runoff. A modern system would be specifically designed
      for this purpose.

      
 

      
  Private
      and public street furniture is freely mixed along the mall, with
      cafe tables and merchandise displays clustered under public street
      lamps and planters.

      
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 All images
      are ©Tom Kloster, 2002, and may only be used by permission