Realizing Urban Space

A couple of weeks ago, I picked my up mom to go shopping. When we returned, I noticed a group of teenage girls walking in the street. I wondered why a group of girls was walking down the middle of the street and not walking on the side walk. There was no snow or other obstruction blocking the sidewalk. My mother brought to my attention that due to large number of abandoned buildings lining the sidewalk, these girls probably felt safer walking in the street. This had not occurred to me. This means that in this environment, the area next to the street has a new purpose. Because of the lack of housing, this area is no longer filled with parked cars, and has become a new thoroughfare for pedestrian traffic. It is an area that can be focused on in my design.