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Active Frontage
SUSTAINABILITY & URBAN DESIGNintermediate
Definition
A building facade that engages visually and physically with the street — through shop windows, entrances, permeable fencing, or activities visible from outside. Active frontages generate pedestrian interest and surveillance. Their opposite is the blank wall or servicing facade that creates dead zones.
Example
Copenhagen's Strøget pedestrian street is defined by continuous active frontages — shops, cafes, and display windows at ground level for its entire length, creating exceptional pedestrian life.