Desire path

Desire path
A typical desire line

A desire path (also known as a desire line or social trail) is a path developed by erosion caused by footfall. The path usually represents the shortest or most easily navigated route between an origin and destination. The width and amount of erosion of the line represents the amount of demand.

Desire paths can usually be found as shortcuts where constructed pathways take a circuitous route.

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 tread a path through foliage or grass, leaving a trail "of least resistance" for followers.

The lines may be seen along an unpaved road shoulder or some other unpaved natural surface. The paths take on an organically grown appearance by being unbiased toward existing constructed routes. These are almost always the most direct and the shortest routes between two points, and may later be surfaced. Many streets in older cities began as desire paths,[citation needed] which evolved over the decades or centuries into the modern streets of today.

Contents

Examples

A desire path (right) merges with a footpath (center) in Helsinki, Finland

In Finland, planners are known[citation needed] to visit their parks immediately after the first snowfall, when the existing paths are not visible.[citation needed] People naturally choose desire lines, which are then clearly indicated by their footprints and can be used to guide the routing of paths. Social trails often cut through sensitive habitats and off-limit areas, threatening wildlife and park security. However, social trails also provide to park management an indicator of activity concentration. The National Park Service unit at the Yosemite National Park uses this indicator to help establish its General Management Plan.[citation needed]

The path of Interstate 95 between the cities of Boston and Providence in the USA is said to have originated as a desire line in the form of a trail followed by 17th century Native Americans, which subsequently became a primitive turnpike and eventually a superhighway.[citation needed]

In daily life

More casual trails can be found in parking lots and lawns. Sometimes, vegetation barriers are planted along the pavement to deter off-trail traffic. However, many social trails still penetrate these barriers.

See also

Notes

References

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Desire (emotion) — Desire is a sense of longing for a person or object or hoping for an outcome. Desire is the fire that sets action aflame. The same sense is expressed by emotions such as craving or hankering . When a person desires something or someone, their… …   Wikipedia

  • Desire line — A desire line is a path developed by erosion caused by animal or human footfall. The path usually represents the shortest or most easily navigated route between an origin and destination. The width and amount of erosion of the line represents the …   Wikipedia

  • Desire (philosophy) — In philosophy, desire has been identified as a philosophical problem since Antiquity. In Plato s The Republic, Socrates argues that individual desires must be postponed in the name of the higher ideal. Within the teachings of Buddhism, craving is …   Wikipedia

  • Desire realm — Tibetan Bhavacakra or Wheel of Life in Sera, Lhasa. Part of a series on …   Wikipedia

  • desire line — (di.ZYR lyn) n. An informal path that pedestrians prefer to take to get from one location to another rather than using a sidewalk or other official route. Example Citation: In areas with no sidewalks, beaten down paths in the grass, known as… …   New words

  • Path of Glory — Les Sentiers de la gloire Les Sentiers de la gloire Titre original Paths of Glory Réalisation Stanley Kubrick Acteurs principaux Kirk Douglas, Ralph Meeker Adolphe Menjou George Macready Scénario Stanley Kubrick Jim Thompson Calder Willing …   Wikipédia en Français

  • desire line — noun A path that pedestrians take informally, rather than taking a sidewalk or set route; e.g. a well worn ribbon of dirt that one sees cutting across a patch of grass, or paths in the snow. Study participants also drew charts of pedestrian… …   Wiktionary

  • Noble Eightfold Path — Eightfold Path redirects here. For other uses, see Eightfold Path (disambiguation). The Dharma wheel, often used to represent the Noble Eightfold Path …   Wikipedia

  • Golden Path (Dune) — The Golden Path [In Children of Dune , Leto II and his sister Ghanima also call it Secher Nbiw , which means Golden Path in an ancient language they know through their Other Memory. This term is used as the keyword to unlock the post hypnotic… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance characters — The group from Path of Radiance that appeared on Nasir s ship. Distinguished from left to right: Oscar, Rolf, Boyd, Mist, Mordecai, Lethe, Titania, Zihark, Rhys, Ike, Nephenee, Soren (front), Gatrie (back), Brom, Shinon, Mia (front), Marcia… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”