Cul-de-sac: Love it or hate it

"Age 3 through 8, it's great. Beyond there, you're a captive." So says one urban planner about the celebrated, vilified cul-de-sac. The Times' Home section examines the dead-end residential streets -- an icon of suburbia -- and find that despite the New Urbanism attack on them, the streets are still popular around here:

Leave it to Southern California to defy the new convention. While cities across the country return to streets laid out on a traditional grid system, cul-de-sacs are springing up from Calabasas to Chula Vista. Yes, homeowners often fall in love with the quiet courts and initial sense of built-in neighborliness.

So much debate about cul-de-sacs (do they cause crime?).

What do you think about the iconic streets? Love em? Hate em? Hit the COMMENT button below and have your say!

Comments

[R. Russell]

You can't walk in cul de sac ville. I am sure that these areas have more obesity and heart disease. I used to love to walk on the side streets to get where I was going, but here it is walk next to the roaring traffic or be forever frustrated by the dead end streets. With a grid apttern, you can walk a block off of the beaten path, which is lovely.

[Michael L]

Cul de sac's are no safer than any other street however they do give people who live on them the false sense that they are safer, which is why they started building them in the first place. They also help to make sure that everyone who drives in the area has to drive on the same major road...no matter what! Which creates more congestion than a grid pattern would be where people don't only have 1 way to get to a place. They have 500,000, spreaking out the congestion some. I don't hate cul de sacs I just would never live on one.

[jerry]

Wrong wrong wrong. I live in Valencia, where most streets are cul-de-sac's. People love them, they are safe, and it works!

Some builders may take shortcuts in how they "design" their projects, but If you do it right. (like much of Valencia).

Jerry
Valencia CA