Wedding photographers are fond of taking post-nuptial photos on quaint Main Streets, but rarely on the commercial strip. Here's why.
Is your Facebook feed populated with photos of friends weddings? Ours too. And we've noticed that many of these photos are staged in beautiful urban environments—tree-lined main street, against the funky building mural, something downtown. Why had the photographer decided to stage their photos in these environments? And why had they decided not to stage them in front of, say, the pawn shop?
The answer isn't complicated. We all know what makes a street special. Unique buildings, lush trees, kitschy window displays, public art, hanging flower baskets, and sandwich boards all work together to create an intriguing backdrop that is worthy of playing a part in our most treasured memories. These streets are the heart and soul of our communities, and they are what people remember about our towns.
Having a little fun with Photoshop, we decided to place these newlyweds (with their forgiveness) in a few alternative environments. The results are revealing. Downtown streets are often what people remember about our communities. They speak volumes about who we are. Are our streets places for people, or places where people look out of place?
FULL STORY: Weddings on the Street
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research