When walking around my neighborhood in Florence, there are several noteworthy findings with the way the street was designed. The width of the roads suggests the streets were made for pedestrians, not cars. Or if there would be any transportation, horse and carriage could easily travel down the streets. Regarding the buildings themselves, they are right on top of the crosswalks. This creates an architectural affect where when a person is standing on the sidewalk and looks up, the buildings seem taller than they actually are. Finally, the buildings have a mix of uses. The ground floor is where the shops or restaurants are, then above is where the apartments are located. This setup is ideal for making the neighborhood walkable.
Swanson School of Engineering 