The answer?  When you focus on designing great alleys.

Narrow, pedestrian-only streets (paseos) are becoming quite popular.  They help focus attention on people, the most interesting subject matter to the human eye.  This ‘people stage’ is made more dramatic with a terminating building(s).

Building facades that feature human-scaled, human-designed detailing are that much more appealing to - humans, especially if you intend to look at it longer than a minute or two.  The same goes for the materials used on the ground, which is why brick (and cobblestone) make a huge difference.  Good lighting design helps to highlight the best of those details, including the dining area.

Next blog - San Francisco’s hidden Parisian alley experience.