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Many communities across the nation are finding creative ways to keep citizens safe and still help support local businesses, during COVID-19.
The National Main Street Center's first AARP Design Brief addresses Open Streets. Hendersonville, NC is featured as an example for their new open street initiative AND their serpentine streets.
Below is a portion of the design brief:
Hendersonville, North Carolina (pop. 14,000) took an iterative approach to launching their open streets initiative, focusing on community engagement and feedback to determine whether their program could be longer-term. They held a “trial” over Memorial Day weekend 2020, where their Main Street was closed to cars and trucks but open to pedestrians, diners, and shoppers.
Historic Downtown Hendersonville then surveyed community members about their experiences. Responses were overwhelmingly positive, prompting the city to extend the open streets program to two weekends per month through the end of the summer. Read more about the city’s ongoing traffic calming efforts through the use of serpentine street design.
Learn more about Hendersonville's Open Street Initiative
Want to learn how Open Streets could help your downtown? Read the full Design Brief HERE