A desire line is a path developed by erosion caused by animal and/or human footfall. The path usually represents the shortest and/or most easilly navigated route between an origin and destination. The width and amount of erosion of the line represents the amount of demand. Desire lines were used in early transportation planning, prior to the advent of computerized models. They are manifested on the surface of the earth in certain cases, e.g. as dirt pathways created by people walking through a field, when the original movement by individuals helps clear a path, thereby encouraging more travel. Explorers may tred a path through foliage or grass, leaving a trail 'of least resistance' for followers. Similarly they may be seen along an unpaved road shoulder or some other unpaved natural surface. The paths take on a rather organically grown appearance by being unbiased toward existing constructed routes. These are almost always the most direct and the shortest route between two points and may later be surfaced. Desire lines can usually be found as shortcuts in places where constructed pathways take a circuitous route. Many streets in old cities began as desire lines which evolved over the decades or centuries into the modern streets of today.
See also
References
- Throgmorton, James and Eckstein, Barbara Desire Lines: The Chicago Area Transportation Study and the Paradox of Self in Post-War America
- New York Times: And Now, a Scooter That Can Be Driven on the Sidewalk
- WGBH: A Cape Cod Notebook - Desire Lines by Robert Finch
- Carl Myhill, "Commercial Success by Looking for Desire Lines", in Masoodian, M, Jones, S, Rogers B, (Eds.) 6th Asia Pacific Computer-Human Interaction Conference (APCHI 2004), (Rotorua, New Zealand, June/July 2004). Springer-Verlag
- QI, series 4, episode 10, 'general ignorance' round
