Great Blocks - Wall Street in Asheville, NC

I have my favorite blocks in different cities - sometimes just a half-block stretch qualifies or sometimes it takes an entire block or two to create a memorable place. The perfect combination of street width, building height, retail uses, furniture, landscaping, windows, awnings and signage can make me want to linger for hours. Of course, European cities have their American counterparts beat in every category of urban design. However, there are notable special places here if you look for them. In Asheville, North Carolina there is one such place - Wall Street near its intersection with Battery Park Avenue. In a nod to New York City, the original design of Asheville included these familiar street names and it's very own flatiron building (another one of my favorites and a post for another day). To accent the obvious, there is a carefully placed sculpture of a large black iron marking the entrance to the block. The street is narrow and it angles, thus forcing your view of the shops and restaurants. One of the best techniques to get people to walk down a street is to eliminate any change in grade. On Wall Street the street and sidewalk work together as one with paver patterns, colors, and associated bollards leading the way. Every American city should be so fortunate to have great pedestrian streets. Downtown Asheville has one of the best.