Practical Management: 7 FEATURES OF SUCCESSFUL DOWNTOWN PEDESTRIAN MALLS

Most downtown pedestrian malls have failed and have been fully or partially re-opened to vehicular traffic. As I noted in my previous blog post “The Failure of Downtown Pedestrian Malls” 89% have failed. However, there are 11% that have succeeded. So what are the features that made some pedestrian malls successful?

Pearl Street, Boulder, CO, Photo: Downtown Boulder, Inc.

Read More> History of Pearl Street, Boulder, CO.

Researchers have found some key characteristics of successful pedestrian malls. The list of below are examples of important features that many of them share.

Characteristics of successful pedestrian malls:

Successful pedestrian malls are located near large upper and middle class residential neighborhoods and have a significant downtown residential population
They have major anchors such as universities, hotels, or in close proximity to tourist attractions such as a beach i.e. Miami. The City of Charlottesville is a University Town with one end of the mall anchored by a large hotel and an ice skating rink.
A mix of businesses that draw customers to the mall. For instance, Charlottesville, VA has 30 restaurants on it's pedestrian mall
Pedestrian malls with human-scale spaces, trees and greenery, overhanging canopies, play-spaces for children, fountains, street performers, etc. are more likely to succeed
Pedestrian malls that are a few blocks in length are more successful than longer ones
Smaller communities are more likely to have successful pedestrian malls. 80% of successful pedestrian malls are located in communities with populations of around 100,000 or less. (i.e. Charlottesville & Winchester, VA; New Bedford, MA; Boulder, CO)
Lots of programmed activities, such as live music and festivals drive visitation to pedestrian malls