| A pioneering study by Donald Appleyard
made the surprise sudden increase in the volume of traffic through an area
affects a sudden increase in crime does. Appleyard observed this by fir house in
San Francisco that looked much alike and had middle-class and working-class
residents. The difference was that only 2,000 cars a day ran down Octavia in
Appleyard’s terminology while Gough Street (MEDIUM street) had 9,000 cars a day
and Franklin Street (HEAVY street) had around 16,000 cars a day. Franklin Street often had as many cars in an hour as Octavia Street had in a day. Heavy traffic brought with it danger, noise, fumes, and soot, directly, and trash secondarily. That is, the cars didn’t bring in much trash, but when trash accumulated, residents seldom picked it up. The cars, Appleyard determined, reduced the amount of territory residents felt responsible for. Noise was a constant intrusion into their homes. Many Franklin Street residents covered their doors and windows and spent most of their time in the rear of their houses. Most families with children had already left. Conditions on Octavia Street were much different. Residents picked up trash. They sat on their front steps and chatted with neighbors. They had three times as many friends and twice as many acquaintances as the people on Franklin. On Gough Street, residents said that the old feeling of community was disappearing as traffic increased. People were becoming more and more preoccupied with their own lives. A number of families had recently moved. And more were considering it. Those who were staying expressed deep regret at the destruction of their community. |