That reminds me of three cities I used to frequent. You could predict their economic and political situation based on the way desire paths were being handled.
- Place 1: poor, left-wing. Nothing, the desire paths were left alone.
- Place 2: rich, left-wing. Desire paths were nicely paved over.
- Place 3: rich, right-wing. They placed big branches on a desire path to block it. After people started climbing over them, they fell a tree on it.
What about poor, right wing? I think we need a political compass for desire paths.
What grass? That’s just a parking lot.
🎵Don’t it always seem to go,
That ya don’t know whatcha got,
Till it’s gone,
They paved Paradise,
Put up a parking lot🎵
–Joni Mitchell, “Big Yellow Taxi” (1970)
There was one uni that didn’t have paths until after the students walked over that lawns, then they made the paths based on the wear. wonder if this is that place.
I don’t think this is a rare means of design. Mine also had desire paths replaced with concrete.
That was OSU (Ohio State University) IIRC.
Yep, I went to school there, it’s actually pretty interesting to walk on.
That’s what a “desire path” is
Use the god damn crosswalk!!
Which crosswalk? The only car roads in the picture are on the bottom, and on the left. The larger path goes under the road.
Get off my lawn!!!
