The Rise and Fall of the Cul-de-Sac

In the 1930s, The Federal Housing Authority embraced the trend towards cul-de-sacs, decrying the standard street grid as monotonous and unsafe. Norman Garrick and Wesley Marshall have proven otherwise.

1 minute read

September 19, 2011, 11:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur

Garrick and Marshall's research shows that yes, the person living on the cul-de-sac is safer - if they never leave their block. But the suburban road structure that makes cul-de-sacs possible is more dangerous than a grid.

Emily Badger talked with Garrick and Marshall, as well as Scott Bernstein of the Center for Neighborhood Technology:

"Garrick and Marshall compiled data on 230,000 crashes spanning 11 years in 24 medium-sized California cities. And they began to parse and classify street patterns in a kind of taxonomy."

"In their California study, Garrick and Marshall eventually realized the safest cities had an element in common: They were all incorporated before 1930. Something about the way they were designed made them safer."

FULL STORY: Debunking the Cul-de-Sac

Monday, September 19, 2011 in The Atlantic Cities

Infrastructure Transportation United States Sprawl Cul-De-Sacs Street Grids View More

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