Sitting Pretty

Release Date: Thursday, August 12th 2010

Sidewalk cafes are sprouting up throughout Downtown and are a true indicator of street life and a clear measure that the area is becoming a place where people can have remarkable urban experiences. Both the Downtown BID and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) encourage the growth in outdoor cafes and support their use …

Thirteen years ago, there were very few sidewalk cafes in Downtown DC; today, the Downtown BID's second Annual Inventory of Sidewalk Cafes shows there are 123, with a total of about 3,300 seats. This is up from 95 cafes and about 2,700 seats a year ago—a 29.5% increase.

The Office of Planning’s (OP) 2000 Downtown Action Agenda identified outdoor dining as an element that can enhance Downtown as a physical place. It proposed establishing a task force to develop a comprehensive plan and simplify the procedures for public improvements in Downtown DC. Through its participation in various city task forces, the Downtown BID has actively promoted sidewalk cafes as a high priority amenity.

Also, as part of its placemaking initiative, the Downtown BID has made its staff available to advise restaurants on how to best obtain sidewalk café permits through DDOT’s Public Space Permit office and occasionally assist with some details of the application process.

Whether enclosed or separated from pedestrians with decorative fencing, removable bollards or topiary trees, sidewalk cafes encourage more vibrant street life, offer a place to sit and relax, see and be seen and meet friends and bring more pedestrians to the neighborhood.

From the simple to the sizeable, the cafes help animate streets in Downtown, throughout DC and in major capitals around the world. They not only promote the use and enjoyment of city space, they also enhance tourism, provide increased opportunities for handicapped accessibility to dining out and have a dramatic impact on urban streetscapes.

Internationally known placemaking expert Fred Kent, president of the Project for Public Spaces, enthusiastically supports sidewalk cafes as a way to add activity to public spaces. In 2008, the Downtown BID invited him to facilitate a daylong workshop as part of its placemaking initiative. Participants learned that simple elements—signage, traffic flow, street activation and seating options—could have a tremendous impact on an area’s appeal.

“There’s no rule that says public spaces have to be boring,” according to Richard H. Bradley, executive director of the Downtown BID. “Working along with our partners, we can transform the public environment in Downtown in ways that foster a sense of community and well-being.”