# I love narrow streets

By [Brandon Donnelly](https://paragraph.com/@brandondonnelly), 2023-05-28

architecture, haussmann, laneway, laneway-housing, mackay-laneway-housing, milan, narrow-street, paris, planning, small-street, street-width, streets-of-milan, toronto, urbanism

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![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/4ce4bb8548cde39934858a8fa18ac9e3.jpg)

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/2a25ecdc54cacb368e49705de3ef079e.jpg)

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that I'm a fan of narrow streets. It's one of the reasons I have been such a [supporter of laneway housing](https://brandondonnelly.com/2022/09/18/a-spectacular-laneway-retreat-11-years-in-the-making/) here in Toronto, and why I think they should ultimately [allow for some non-residential uses](https://twitter.com/donnelly_b/status/1659987182373699585?s=20).

If you have narrow streets and reasonably decent buildings that frame them, you have a base condition that has worked remarkably well since the creation of cities. Almost by default, and even if you don't have proper sidewalks, it is going to feel pedestrian-oriented.

The challenge, however, is that it's usually difficult to create these after the fact. Street networks are powerfully sticky; they generally don't change unless you have [someone like Haussmann](https://brandondonnelly.com/2022/08/28/are-you-sure-you-want-parisian-style-urbanism/) rebuilding your city. So if you have these in your city, try and take advantage of them. You're fortunate to have them.

The above two photos/measurements are from Milan. Both streets are around 20 feet wide (or 6 meters), which happens to be the required width of a standard two-way drive aisle here in Toronto. It's a good example of how differently cities can view and allocate space.

You can do a lot with 6 meters.

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*Originally published on [Brandon Donnelly](https://paragraph.com/@brandondonnelly/i-love-narrow-streets)*