Threshold and transition
Arcade
shopping streetplazamarketmixed-use building
It is the covered walkway that runs under the upper floors of a building along the street or the square.
What it solves
It allows people to walk and trade in the shade and without getting wet. It links private buildings into a continuous public route.
Today
Keep it continuous, level with the sidewalk and free of obstacles, with good lighting at night and shops that bring it to life.
Common mistake
Allowing each owner to close off or raise their section until the continuity of the walkway is broken.
Tomorrow
With heavier downpours and stronger heat, arcades are once again health infrastructure in the city. A street with continuous arcades lets people walk at midday without being exposed to the sun.
Fact The 1884 Kuala Lumpur ordinances set five-foot ways along the street, about a meter and a half.
Where it comes from
- 1Medieval Italian city Bologna, Italy, since the 12th century
Its porticoes add up to 62 kilometers of privately owned covered walkway for public use. - 2Ordinances of settlement of 1573 Spanish America, 16th century
They called for arcades around the plaza and along the main streets for the convenience of merchants. - 3Straits shophouse Singapore and Malaysia, 19th century
Singapore’s 1822 plan required a continuous covered walkway on each side of the street against sun and rain.
Masters
- Aldo Rossi Monte Amiata housing complex in Gallaratese, Milan, Italy, 1973
He designs a 185-meter block with a ground-floor portico conceived as a place of community life. He recovers the covered walkway as part of the city.
Appears in the routes
See also
Also in Threshold and transition
Diagrams and texts by LDB Arquitectura. They are shared under the CC BY 4.0 license, which allows them to be used and adapted with credit to the source.