Our Case Studies in Urban Architecture continue as we move to Birmingham's Southside to an area called Five Points. A great area of the city fo meet, eat, relax, and shop, Five Points is one of Birmingham's best examples of positive, sustainable urban design.
From a bird's eye view, Five Points' success if due primarily to its 'natural' advantages. It is lcated at the convergence of several important streets which connect it directly to the UAB Campus, Downtown, the Highway 280 Corridor, Vulcan Park, and Downtown Homewood. It also benefits from the necessary slowing and bottle-necking of a lot of regular thru-traffic, causing shops and stores to be noticed more frequently - increasing the changes of people stopping by. Let's look a little closer at some other features:
1) Trees! In the sea of asphalt that is the City of Birmingham, Five Points has trees! Man's inherent bond to nature has not been overlooked as there are actually places to sit under them as well.
2) Zones of Use: moving traffic, on-street parking, vegetation, sidewalk, shops. These zones create a pleasant experience for pedestrians, but also increase safety by creating buffers between moving automobiles and walking pedestrians. On street parking also increases access to stores.
3) Shops and buildings are pulled far back from street corners, making each corner an open plaza and a great location for tables, chairs, and fun activities: art displays, street-band performances, or simply socializing.
4) The scale of the pedestrian is always considered as low storefront windows extend the line of vision and interest far into shops and restaurants.
5) From the local mini-mart to the Starbucks and post office, Five Points has a little bit of everything for everybody. Apartments and condos located above and around the corner from all the shops invite all types of people, not only to visit, but to stay and add to the flavor and inviting atmosphere of the intersection of Five Points.