Greening Green Hills starts with adding more vegetation and making the land more biker and pedestrian friendly. Let’s take the Hill Center as an example: the layout is such that you park your car and walk to your destination. There are pedestrian crossings and sidewalks with interesting plant life and greenery. Even the sidewalks themselves have unique designs with different types pavers and concrete stains. The store fronts all face outward, and each store has a unique storefront and signage. There is a tree-lined road with modern light posts. The Hill Center has beautiful benches and biker racks that welcome both pedestrian and biker. Below are some images of the Hill Center that show you the things I discussed above.
The Hill Center is an example of a mixed use destination that has done it right! While it is an upscale shopping area, there is still a lot to learn in terms of how we can implement the design into the overall Green Hills area. The layout of the buildings, green space, light posts, signage, pedestrian crossings, benches, parking areas and bike storage at the Hill Center are all examples of how to create this overall environment to the rest of Green Hills. So in my next post, I’ll take a look at a greener Green Hills master plan.