Deadlock - American Dream Bashny.Net

There is one feature of the device of American suburbs, with which I faced myself.

This feature is called the French word cul-de-sac, which literally means "bottom of the bag." So in the United States for many decades called street without through traffic, in other words, a dead end. Many areas of the country as a result of such a development reminiscent of the crown of the tree: the trunk there (freeway), moving away from him large branches (the main street), which runs many small branches, streets most intricate configurations, and all of them blind
Author engineering_ru





The reasons for such a plan were a few areas.
Firstly, it helps to significantly reduce the amount of car traffic on the dead-end streets - by your house passes the minimum number of cars actually go only your neighbors.
Second, planners and architects can make better use of the space, to put it more homes, cut more sites that will benefit not only them, but also to consumers, since the proposal is growing.
Thirdly, on that street, there is usually no quadrilateral crossroads and there is a minimum number of accidents. (According to other studies in the areas of blind accidents do less, but fatalities in accidents involving cyclists, for example, longer)

At some point, the Americans have realized the benefits of life to a standstill, and the value of properties in these streets came up. According to various surveys, 85% of Americans who own their homes, want to live in a cul-de-sac'ah. Therefore, the average home price there is 25-30% higher than the price of similar houses on the main street or through



There are a number of features of life to a standstill. There's a much higher social activity of neighbors who feel absolute masters of the street and not only deal with its landscaping and cleaning, but also to communicate with each other more than anywhere else in the suburbs. Obviously, these streets were much safer in terms of street crime, there is significantly lower number of registered police break-ins and burglaries of homes with private plots. Accordingly, the cheaper cost installation of the security system, and the system itself can be simpler.

However, life in the cul-de-sac'e has its disadvantages. They, too, are many - from a longer path that have to travel yellow school bus that morning gathers the children to school, and in the evening goes round the houses to the obvious difficulties faced by the machine "Ambulance" or fire. Their path is increased by an average of 10%.



The site at the end of the impasse diameter of at least 90 feet - that could turn around a fire truck

Some Americans are afraid of dead-end streets, explaining that if you happen something unpleasant, such as you will be a victim of street crime, the chances that someone will notice it, you've got small. No one will see the body lying in the bushes, or some other evidence of the crime, as people on the street a bit, and after dark there is no one at all. There are even amazing studies showing that the residents of houses located on that street, weigh an average of 3 kg more than the people through the streets and the citizens. One can only guess why.



That's a possible explanation - the distance that a pedestrian can cover a 5-minute walk in the area of ​​cul-de-sac in the traditional urban planning; people from the dead ends just a little walk on foot

Huge negative of these places - they are incredibly boring. The hallmark of these places is not only the absence of an active social life, but also the conspicuous absence of people on the streets, or rather, the lack of pedestrians. Moreover, many good and expensive areas in principle, there is no such thing as a sidewalk.

In good residential areas tend to hang signs, said that the safety of the streets of mutually watched neighbors and they have created a special group to assist the police. Any stranger to these streets can be seen immediately. If he goes on foot and at the same time he does not have a dog, and he was not in a tracksuit, or just looks suspicious, and sometimes even goes past the house for the third time - the owners of the real estate immediately call the police and passerby to check. The same happens in case someone notices a strange car in front of the house of a neighbor, and the neighbor can not see itself.

In such areas, people go to bed early and get up early. At ten in the evening restaurants, including the best, have been closed. However, partly because of this or that place is perfect for living with children - they have little temptations.

Whatever it was, sociologists, architects and designers argue, but is confident the Americans prefer to live on the streets leading to nowhere.

That's all. Thank you!



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