Landscaped Buffer Strip
ELM-LBS-30 Recommended Element
Landscaped Buffer Strip
A planted zone running between the roadway and the sidewalk, providing separation, stormwater treatment opportunity, and space for street trees and other plantings, distinct from a hardscaped or paved separation.
Why this pattern exists
A planted buffer between moving traffic and pedestrians provides psychological and physical separation beyond what a curb alone offers, while also creating usable space for trees, snow storage, and stormwater treatment that a fully paved streetscape does not accommodate. This pattern exists to document the width and design considerations that make this zone function well.1
Key considerations
- Width should be sufficient to support meaningful tree growth and planting; a strip too narrow limits both plant health and its buffering effect
- Should account for a maintenance plan, since an unmaintained buffer can become an eyesore or a weed-choked liability rather than an asset
- In snow climates, the strip may also serve as snow storage space, which should be planned for in plant and material selection
Related patterns
Street Tree (ELM-STT-28), Tree Pit/Tree Trench (ELM-TPT-29) (elements typically located within this zone); Bioswale (ELM-BIO-19), Pervious Strip (ELM-PVS-21) (stormwater treatments that may occupy this zone instead)