The Boulevard Book ─ History, Evolution, Design of Mulitway Boulevards

First built in Europe and grandly imported to the United States in the mid-nineteenthcentury, the classic multiway boulevard has been in decline for many years, victim of a narrowlyfocused approach to street design that views unencumbered vehicular traffic flow as the highestpriority. The American preoccupation with destination and speed has made multiway boulevardsincreasingly rare as artifacts of the urban landscape. This book reintroduces the boulevard,tree-lined and with separate realms for through traffic and for slow-paced vehicular-pedestrianmovement, as an important and often crucial feature of both historic and contemporary cities. Itpresents more than fifty boulevards?-as varied as Avenue Montaigne, in Paris; C. G. Road, inAhmedabad, India; and The Esplanade, in Chico, California -- celebrating their usefulness andbeauty. It discusses their history and evolution, the misconceptions that led to their near-demisein the United States, and their potential as a modern street type.Based on wide research, TheBoulevard Book examines the safety of these streets and offers design guidelines for professionals,scholars, and community decision makers. Extensive plans, cross sections, and perspective drawingspermit visual comparisons. The book shows how multiway boulevards respond to many issues that arecentral to urban life, including livability, mobility, safety, interest, economic opportunity, masstransit, and open space.

Yodan Rofe is Head of the City Planning Section in the Chief Architects Office of the Ministry of Construction and Housing in Jerusalem.