The Winter City Street
This pattern is shaped by
Problem
When streets are designed for summer and then endured in winter, the city dies for five months of the year. Snow narrows roads, ice makes sidewalks dangerous, wind tunnels form between buildings, and nobody walks anywhere because walking is miserable.
Evidence and Discussion
Nordic cities — Oulu, Finland; Tromsø, Norway; Luleå, Sweden — have demonstrated that winter cities can be vibrant twelve months a year. The design moves: heated sidewalks at key intersections, wind-breaking building placement, south-facing building faces along pedestrian routes, covered walkways at transit stops, and snow storage designed into the streetscape rather than dumped in parking lots.
Therefore
design streets for the worst month, not the best. Orient pedestrian routes to maximize sun exposure in winter. Break wind with building placement and street trees (conifers on the windward side). Provide heated surfaces at transit stops and key crossings. Designate snow storage areas that double as rain gardens in summer. The test: would you walk this street in January? If not, redesign it.