City's ability to incorporate all of the desired streetscape improvements for each street type will, in some cases, be constrained by actual ROW dimensions. The pedestrian realm is the spaces used by the people walking in the city. It is from the sidewalk, at the slow speed of the walker that experiential sensations of a city are at their highest. The realm has ground surface and an edge. Each impacts the experience of place.
Positive experiences generate positive feelings about the downtown.
The goal for downtown is to design the most positive walk experience at all times of the day and at all seasons . Pedestrian realms include sidewalks on both sides of streets and boulevards, exclusive pedestrian ways like the river and lake edge walks, cross-walks, bridges, skywalks, elevators, stairs and ramps used by the public. Public lobbies and interior shopping corridors can also be included in the pedestrian realm. The pedestrian realm must be continuous, safe and pleasant. Pedestrians should be able to move easily and safely across streets along riverbanks and across parks and plazas.