Building Facades	Previous  Index  Next
	While a building-height to openings-between-buildings ratio is not a safety concern, this ratio is a factor in making a walkway comfortable and is critical in making a pedestrian area a destination, in areas adjacent to buildings. To create a sense of human scale in the pedestrian spatial volume, the street and walkway width should be directly proportional to the height of the buildings. A building-height to openings-between-buildings ratio in pedestrian areas adjacent to building should be as near to 1:1 as feasible. The scale decisions should be tempered by expected pedestrian volumes and the knowledge that street crossings should be narrowed for safety and comfort. In addition to providing human scale proportions, building spatial volume can provide shade to pedestrians. A stepped-back approach is also acceptable, but trees must be added to provide shade.