Charles Durning Carroll

One recent development in urbanism is the idea of “naked streets”. This is not, as one might wish it to be, a haven for urban nudists, but the idea that when all forms of separation between the street and the sidewalk is removed–when the first priority does NOT go to the car–streets are safer.

The naked street idea involves the removal of all barriers, street lights and stop-signs along a street. Presumably too it makes the entire space of the streetscape into a sidewalk. I can’t walk down the middle of Bloor street without getting hit by a car or bus, but imagine if we all had to share the entire space. Traffic, paradoxically, would have to SLOW down. This inevitably would be a good thing.

Now if only we could get the nudists to walk there…