In order to recreate a sense of community, the redevelopment must foster pedestrian activity. It should provide friendly and attractive pedestrian linkages among adjacent neighborhoods and should encourage passive recreation throughout proposed development areas. To meet these goals, it is essential to create an urban plan that enhances the pedestrian experience by creating strong pedestrian conduits, park areas and public spaces convenient to places where people work, shop and live. Linkages between the proposed redevelopment areas and existing neighborhoods are extremely important to encourage a blending and integration between the old and the new.

Currently, one of the few spaces amenable to the pedestrian is the downtown West Main Street and Colony Street redevelopment area. This area has recently been rejuvenated with streetscape-style amenities such as brick pavers, traffic calming bump-outs and crosswalks, improved streetlights and attractive plantings. The surrounding buildings, both in design and use, are consistent with a pedestrian-scale, downtown environment. However, many areas beyond this immediate vicinity are dominated by vehicular traffic, railroad tracks, modern buildings and site developments that do not respond to the pedestrian and are not conducive to community interaction. 

The material on this page is reproduced from "Meriden City Center Initiative - A Comprehensive Plan for Revitalization" prepared by BL Companies, released 07/24/2002. All rights reserved.

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