The Paths That Make Themselves

The Problem:

Where’s the best place to put a path between two buildings?

The Insight:

Desire paths! Humans will always find the path of least resistance between two points. These desired paths often have a stronger pull than official, designed paths, creating two path systems.

The Idea:

Pave the trail! Rather than adding official paths, let people create desire paths first. Once the trails are evident, that’s when you pave and make them official. This is an architectural idea often used on college campuses, e.g. Michigan State.

Source: Desire Paths at Michigan State