DePaul University has dabbled with a possible pedestrianization of Kenmore b/w Fullerton and Webster and is returning to the community with an in-between solution: a block-long "woonerf" or "living street" meant to harmonize pedestrians, bikes, and vehicles. If it weren't for the widespread application of the "woonerf" in the Netherlands, we'd be skeptical. But we suppose even the Chicago driver (or worse, the suburban Chicago driver) can be "tamed" by the right amount of street furniture, landscaping, and roadway engineering. That's the concept here: erase the parking, widen sidewalks, lay the street in brick, pepper it with obstructions, and send it on a wending course.
The treatments would only affect Kenmore from Fullerton to Belden, reports DNAinfo. The compromise (discarding, for now, outright pedestrianization) is probably owing to vehement neighborhood opposition to DePaul's flirtation with street closure. The "woonerf" should, nevertheless, succeed in giving DePaul more of a closed-campus feel. Early indications from neighbors suggest greater cooperation with this idea, although community leader Allan Mellis says locals are worried DePaul will eventually close Kenmore to cars. The players will have a chance to hash it out at a community meeting this coming Tuesday.
·Dutch-Inspired 'Living Street' Proposed for Kenmore Ave. on DePaul's Campus [DNAinfo]
·DePaul Street Closure Ruffles Community's Feathers [Curbed Chicago]
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