Analysis on Traditional Commercial Street Quality with a Neighborhood Communication Perspective —— A Case of Rue de Marchienne, Belgium

Abstract

Traditional commercial street exists and functions as an important public space in city. Existing literatures have highlighted street quality at different aspects but still call for more case study and regional research. This paper is on improving the quality of traditional commercial street. A case study of a typical traditional commercial street Rue de Marchienne, Belgium is analyzed based on fieldwork. The study tries to investigate the problems in urban design that hamper Rue de Marchienne from a high quality street with social interactions. Six specific evaluation measures are applied, which aims to further identify those problems by mapping and inter-discipline methodologies from urbanism, geography as well as economy. The findings indicate several strategies and generate specific improvements for urban planners and designers for Rue de Marchienne.