Skyways are elevated walkways connecting buildings, often enclosed and air-conditioned. They offer protection from the elements and safer pedestrian access in busy urban areas. Skyways are common in the US and Canada, with some featuring shops and panoramic views. However, there are concerns about their impact on human isolation, as depicted in the Canadian film Waydowntown.
A skyway is an elevated walkway that connects two or more buildings. They are typically enclosed and air conditioned to provide protection from the elements. Skyway systems are most common in large metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada, where they typically connect networks of commercial, residential and utility buildings.
Typical sky bridges connect large structures in dense central areas of major cities, most often, one or two stories above ground level. Skyway walkways typically consist of wide pedestrian corridors, which may slope between buildings in cities where they have been added to existing structures. In some cases, these bridges may be lined with shops, but most feature picture windows that give pedestrians a panoramic view of the city below. These structures are most often maintained by the owners of the commercial buildings they interconnect, although exceptions to this rule exist.
The main advantage that skyway systems offer is protection from the elements, which, in particularly hot, cold or humid climates, makes life for urban workers much less difficult. Residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota or Calgary, Alberta can live their lives without going out if they choose, as extensive networks of skyways connect commercial, residential and entertainment facilities, including full-size urban malls and food markets.
In addition to protection from the elements, skyways offer other benefits. They provide a much safer way for pedestrians to get around in busy urban areas. This type of pedestrian structure allows city planners new options when attempting to provide access to busy train or bus stations, and many cities use short skyway networks to get commuters in and out of busy stations.
Early proponents of skyways and other screened pedestrian spaces, such as American author Edward Bellamy, assumed that protection from the elements was an improvement. His vision of pedestrians protected from rain by vast canopies that opened during inclement weather foreshadowed the development of skyways. However, other examples of this kind of protected pedestrian space in fiction are much more ambivalent about their virtues.
The independent Canadian film, Waydowntown expresses a darkly comic concern about the impact of skyways on humanity. It is set entirely within the skyway system in Alberta. The characters in the film make bets on who can go the longest without going out, but they are all gradually driven insane by their isolation from the real world. The film is not meant to be taken literally, but should, perhaps, serve as a reminder to pedestrians who use skyway systems to occasionally get out onto the streets.
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