Birmingham Offers Key Sign of Urban Form

Within Birmingham's central core — a roughly 360-block mass comprising the city's Central Business District and Southside (and the fringes of those two districts) — there is a defining characteristic of a traditional built fabric. Very simply, this massive sea of B-Ham urbanity contains few, if any, buildings that are sited with their sides "facing" streets. It's almost stunning to see this, as the central cores of most Southern cities have various buildings positioned in this manner, often when such a physical arrangement was not even necessary. For a Nashville reference and a comparison, mentally visualize the siting of the Wachovia Bank Building, located on West End Avenue between 17th and 18th avenues. The developer could have opted to position the building facing and straddling the sidewalk. Instead, the building seemingly "turns its side" to West End, its facade facing east and overlooking asphalt. And there are other examples of this in Midtown, which is the equivalent (and only very modestly so) of Birmingham's Southside. In fairness, sometimes tight geographic constraints render such a site arrangement necessary for a building. Often, however, the developer wishes to maximize ease of motorist access, thus harming the attractiveness and urban functionality of the structure. Somehow, Birmingham's core has managed to avoid this example of non-urban design.