As with roadways and transit, the configuration of pedestrian facilities varies across the different district types, and is defined primarily by the overall volume of such travelers in the area. 

8.3.1 Historic Center 

Because the historic center is the location of the greatest intensities of activity throughout the region, pedestrian travel is an inescapable reality that must be accommodated. The high volumes of pedestrians generated by such high intensities of activity warrant utmost attention to pedestrian facilities and amenities. Wide sidewalks should persist throughout the district, connecting jobs, restaurants, shops, and apartments. The main commercial streets, with their street-front retail establishments, should boast the widest sidewalks of ideally 15 to 20 feet. 

In the historic center, pedestrian crossings should be as convenient and safe as possible. These ends can be attained through the following measures: 

• Small corner radii: Tight turn radii ensure that vehicles cannot make right turns without slowing to a pace that enables them to completely scan the vicinity for pedestrians. Small corner radii also ensure that the corners are close together, i.e., that the amount of asphalt traversed by pedestrians is minimized. 
• Bulb-outs: Bulb-outs are areas where the curb-lines of the roadway are extended out across the on-street parking lanes with the intention of bringing the two sides of the roadway closer together at high-volume crossing areas (see diagram). 
• Clearly-Defined Crosswalks: Textured and clearly painted crosswalks alert motorists to the likely presence of pedestrians. 
• Short Signal Cycles: These ensure that pedestrians will never have to wait for a long period of time to cross the street. As a result, the temptation for pedestrians to dart across the street during a red signal is minimized.  

8.3.2 Urban Villages 

Many of the same principles apply to urban villages as to the historic center, with relatively high residential densities necessitating careful attention to pedestrian provisions. However, the ultimate capacity of the sidewalks in these areas, i.e., their widths, does not necessarily need to be consistently large throughout these areas. Sidewalks should instead be sized to anticipated pedestrian volumes, ranging from a minimum of 5 feet—on the least traveled of residential streets—to approximately 15 feet in neighborhood commercial centers. 
  

8.3.3 Suburban Villages 

Improved pedestrian provisions can be combined with cross-access, as described earlier, to reduce the volume of local travel on suburban highways, particularly those trips from one commercial parcel to the next. Such improved pedestrian provisions would entail wider sidewalks with more amenities such as street furniture, art, shade, landscaping, and better separation ("buffer") from traffic lanes. While pedestrian connections between businesses are very important, so are those to transit stops and public facilities. Particular attention should be given to pedestrian crossings at signalized intersections, where the highest pedestrian flows are likely to occur. 

8.3.4 Existing Towns and Neighborhoods 

Most of the existing residential neighborhoods outside of the urban ring exist at considerably low densities. Hence, streets running through these areas are very lightly traveled, by automobiles and pedestrians alike. As a result, 5-foot sidewalks usually suffice on neighborhood streets. In fact, the amount of travel on some neighborhood streets is so low that sidewalks are not even always necessary. In these cases, pedestrians and automobiles can share the paved surface; a condition that can be clearly conveyed to motorists through careful placement of “Share the Road” signs. 

8.3.5 New Villages 

New villages, in particular their commercial or mixed-use centers, behave much like the historic town center in terms of the overall intensity of pedestrian activity. As a result, wide sidewalks serving street-front businesses should be commonplace, ranging to approximately 15 feet in the most intense areas. Again as with the historic center, small curb radii, short signal cycles, bulb-outs, and clearly visible crosswalks further contribute to the convenience and safety of the pedestrian environment. 

8.3.6 Country 

Pedestrians in the country will be few and far between, due primarily to the large distances between activity generators. As a result, rural two-lane roads do not require separate pedestrian facilities. Instead, a shared shoulder should suffice, with frequent indications to motorists to “Watch for Pedestrians.” Such a shoulder is referred to as “shared” because, in addition to accommodating the occasional pedestrian, it can serve as a bicycle lane, a “breakdown” lane, and an emergency vehicle lane, as needed.  

Off-street recreational trails can further help facilitate pedestrian circulation in rural areas. 

8.3.7 Congaree Preserve 

Recreation is the primary use of pedestrian facilities in natural areas. Such facilities usually take the form of hiking trails and recreational paths, the latter of which can be shared with bicycles and in-line skaters.