Deadlock - the American dream (5 photos)

About planning suburban neighborhoods in the US
There is another feature of the device of American suburbs, I encountered 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 street name, no 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: there trunk (freeway), moving away from him large branches (main street), from which leaves a lot of small branches, streets most intricate configurations, and all of them blind



 

The reasons for such a plan were a few areas.
Firstly, it helps significantly reduce the amount of car traffic on the dead-end streets - by your house passes the minimum number of machines, in fact, going only your neighbors.
Second, planners and architects can make better use of space, put there more houses, cut more sites that will benefit not only them, but also to consumers, since the proposal is growing.
Thirdly, for these streets typically have quadrilateral intersections and the number of accidents there is minimal. (According to other studies in the areas of dead-end accidents do less, but fatalities in accidents involving cyclists, for example, more)
At some point, the Americans 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 this house on the main street or through



There are a number of features of life to a standstill. There are much higher social activity neighbors who feel complete masters of the street and not only engaged in its landscaping and cleaning, but also communicate with each other more than anywhere else in the suburbs. Obviously, these streets are much safer in terms of street crime, there is noticeably lower number recorded by the police break-ins and burglaries of homes with private plots. Accordingly, the cheaper is the installation of security systems, and the system itself can be easier.
However, life in the cul-de-sac'e has its disadvantages. They, too, are many - from a long journey, which have to travel yellow school bus that morning collecting their children to school, and in the evening were transported to their homes, to the obvious difficulties faced by the machine "Ambulance" or firefighters. Their way on average increased by 10%.



Playground at the end of the impasse diameter not less than 90 feet - that could turn around a fire truck
Some Americans are afraid of dead-end streets, explaining that happens to you if something unpleasant, such as you become 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 a crime, because the people on the street a bit, and after dark there is no one at all. There are even amazing studies showing that the inhabitants of the houses located on that street, weigh an average of 3 pounds more than the residents or citizens through the streets. 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 minus 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, it was reported that the safety of the streets of mutually watching 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 is not in a tracksuit, or just looks suspicious, and sometimes even goes past the house for the third time - property owners immediately call the police, and a passer-check. The same happens if someone notices a strange car in front of the house neighbor and neighbor of sight.
In such areas, people go to bed early and get up early. At ten in the evening restaurants, including the best, already closed. However, partly because of this or that place is perfect for children with life - they have little temptations.
Whatever it was, sociologists, architects and designers argue, but so far the Americans surely prefer to live on the streets leading to nowhere.

Source: engineering-ru.livejournal.com/

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