Commercial Strip Design and Redevelopment

Commercial strip developments can be revitalized and made more pedestrian and bicycle friendly by making it easier and more appealing for customers to access the strip development and to visit multiple stores within the strip once they are there. Many techniques are available to make these strips more pedestrian-oriented, attractive, and, hopefully, more active commercial areas. The most important strategy is to put a firm limit on the length of commercial strips and, instead of extending strips, allow commercial expansion at a greater depth and density.

Other strategies for redeveloping commercial strips include:
1) add continuous sidewalks on both sides of the street, which link shopping areas;
2) redesign the fronts of large parking lots and build small, closely spaced or attached storefronts with courtyard parking behind;
3) encourage a mix of housing within walking distance of strip malls;
4) create visually attractive and unified streetscapes by planting a continuous tree border along roadways;
5) limit the number of left-hand turns from major roadways into strip malls by building landscaped medians;
6) enhance pedestrian access by building sidewalks, and crosswalks throughout the area; remove barriers such as fences between shopping areas;
7) make parking lots cooler to walk through by adding regularly spaced orchard trees;
8) provide bicycle parking facilities at busy shopping centers; and
9) site store entrances near street fronts and parking lots to the rear of buildings so transit riders, pedestrians and cyclists have easy access to stores.