Elevated Walkways: How They Came to Be
Elevated walkways have become an important part of urbanization. Aside from being an efficient solution to busy foot traffic, walkways also offer extra business space and are often regarded as a safer alternative to walking beside automobiles. But how exactly did elevated walkways come to be?
The first sidewalks were built in the 13th century in Chester, England. Although historians couldn’t tell the exact reasons they were built, these old sidewalks known as the Chester Rows are now considered a protected heritage site and have inspired many walkways built in the United States at the turn of the 20th century.
Elevated Walkways: Sky Bridges
The proposition to make Manhattan a “city of bridges” came about in 1913 with the publication of “The Elevated Sidewalk: How It Will Solve City Transportation Problems.” But that idea never came to life until the 60s when several towns in the United States started to consider the idea of elevated walkways again. The Minneapolis Skyway system was built in 1962 and it inspired many towns to do the same over the years.
Today, elevated walkways can be seen all over the world. What started as a simple concept of separating humans and cars on the road has now become an indispensable tool for living in a lot of cities.
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