Skyway
- This article is about elevated footbridges. For other uses, see Skyway (disambiguation).
- "Skywalk" redirects here. For other uses, see Skywalk (disambiguation).
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A skyway is a path that is traversed without touching the ground.
In an urban setting, a skyway, catwalk, skywalk, footbridge or pedway is an enclosed (or covered) bridge between two buildings. This protects pedestrians from the weather. These skyways are usually owned by businesses, and are therefore not public spaces (compare with sidewalk). Skyways usually connect on the second or third floor (American numbering convention), though they are sometimes much higher, as in Petronas Towers (though this skyway is often referred to as a sky bridge). The space in the buildings connected by skyways is often devoted to retail business, so areas around the skyway may operate as a shopping mall. Non-commercial areas with closely associated buildings, such as university campuses, can often have skyways and/or tunnels connecting buildings. At 16 km, the +15 walkway in downtown Calgary, Alberta is the largest elevated system in the world. The system connects over 100 office towers. However, the combined sized of the Minneapolis-St. Paul systems has been claimed to be even larger (and the area connected by the Minneapolis system is greater, 80 blocks vs. 64). On a smaller scale, terminals of large airports are often connected by skywalk systems, as at Manchester International Airport.
Some cities have the equivalent of a skyway underground, and many locales have mixed subway/skyway systems; see underground city.
Some covered bridges (skyways) were ruined in the September 11th attacks, at the World Trade Center. Photo of one of the ruined bridges. (Note: This particular bridge/ skyway survives and has been restored since 9/11.) Also see here.
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Early examples of skywalks
- Copenhagen, Denmark: skywalk connecting courts building to adjacent uses, 18th century
- Faaborg, Funen, Denmark: skywalk in centrum, 18th century
Environmental factors
Besides pedestrian safety and convenience, the chief reasons assigned by urban planners for skywalk development are decrease of traffic congestion, reduction in vehicular air pollution and separation of people from vehicular noise. A number of cities (for example, Spokane, Washington) have given intricate analysis to skywalk systems employing computer models to optimize skywalk layout (Carbon monoxide dispersion analysis in downtown Spokane, ESL Inc., Sunnyvale, (1973))
List of cities with notable skyway/skywalk systems
| City | Length | Blocks Connected | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, Georgia | 14 blocks | ||
| Calgary, Alberta (+15 Walkway) | 10 miles (16 km) | ~64 blocks | map |
| Cedar Rapids, Iowa | 15 blocks | map | |
| Cincinnati, Ohio (Skywalk) | 1.3 miles (2.1 km) | 15 blocks | map |
| Des Moines, Iowa | 3 miles (4.8 km) | 27 blocks | map |
| Duluth, Minnesota (Skywalk) | ~17 blocks | map | |
| Edmonton, Alberta (Pedway) | ~13 blocks | map | |
| Hong Kong (footbridges) | |||
| Leeds (was constucted partially in the 1970s to the South of the city centre and was never completed now largely demolished except for small sections at the Bank of England building, offices off Infirmary Street and Millgarth Police Station that are out of bounds to the general public and Leeds Shopping Plaza which is accessible to the public) | |||
| London, Barbican Estate and London Wall | map | ||
| Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | ~30 buildings | ||
| Minneapolis, Minnesota (Skyway) | >8 miles | ~80 blocks | map |
| New York City, New York | West Side Highway (multiple times) | ||
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 16 blocks | map | |
| Rochester, Minnesota (Skyway) | ~17 blocks | map | |
| Rochester, New York | 20 buildings over 13 blocks | map | |
| Saint John, New Brunswick (Skyway) | 15 blocks | map | |
| Saint Paul, Minnesota (Skyway) | 30 blocks | map | |
| Sioux City, Iowa | 13 blocks | map | |
| Spokane, Washington | 16 blocks | ||
| Winnipeg, Manitoba (Winnipeg Walkway) | 18 blocks | map | |
| Detroit, Michigan | 10 Buildings | ~ 8 blocks | map |
See also
Categories
Rooms | Bridges | Covered bridges | Urban studies and planning