Walk-up windows continue to be good urbanism
A successful new walk-up window at &Pizza in the Carlyle Crossing area of Alexandria. Image by Kristen Jeffers.
This article was first published on January 5, 2012. Now, we’re sharing a glimpse of that future promised in the original article, with a few photos of walk-up windows across the region that mostly emerged during the height of the pandemic.
In 2012 a macaron shop looking to open in a small space in Georgetown proposed selling their sweets from an open window facing the sidewalk, rather than from an interior register. Customers wouldn’t actually go inside the shop, they’d merely stop outside it, and order through a large window.
Yes, a decade and some change ago, this was one of our region’s urban planning battles.
It’s hard to believe that there was ever a question because walk-up windows are great urbanism. In the original post, author Dan Malouff presented us with these selling points on walk-up windows:
- They provide additional “eyes on the street,” which deters crime.
- They provide passing-by pedestrians with something interesting to look at, which makes the street more pedestrian friendly. Visual diversity is an important consideration in walkability. If pedestrians feel bored, walks seem longer. If walks seem longer, people opt not to walk.
- They decrease the distance between destinations. Pedestrians want to walk the shortest possible distance to their destination. Giving shoppers the option of buying a product without going into a store decreases how far they have to walk.
More activity on the sidewalk is a good thing. We want it. Sidewalk activity is what makes for good cities.
To be fair, there are still occasional places where adding a walk-up window would be troublesome: too-narrow sidewalks that already have heavy pedestrian traffic, for example. That’s a legitimate concern, as various disabilities and chronic illnesses require individuals to adapt different solutions for themselves.
But 99.9% of the time, walk-up windows are great. And they were a lifesaver in early 2020 and beyond, when businesses restricted their interior spaces to confront the novel coronavirus. As those emergency changes become permanent parts of our landscape, Arlington, Alexandria, and Baltimore have created comprehensive guides for outdoor seating.
And that original macaron shop? They did such great business at that location for eight years, they expanded into an even larger tea room in Old Town Alexandria. Not only are walk-up windows great for pedestrians, but they can be great for business and economic development too.
We leave you this time with a few more of our favorite examples of walk-up windows throughout the region:
A walk-up window on the basement level of a historic rowhouse near Capitol Hill's Lincoln Park. Image by Caitlin Rogger used with permission. 
Pizzeria Paradiso's walkup windows in Hyattsvile. Since Kristen went there for the first time in 2021, the restaurant has added the tent pictured for even more outdoor space. Image by Kristen Jeffers, used with permission. 
When Call Your Mother opened, Kristen admits they couldn't understand why people were lined up. Now, they're glad that their former neighbors in Park View had something like this that felt a little normal already in place at the onset of the pandemic. Image by Beyond DC licensed under Creative Commons.
Kristen's more likely to drive up to this Oxon Hill Checkers. However, plenty of people use this walk-up window and similar ones at locations across the region. Image by the Kristen Jeffers, used with permission. 