OpenStreetMap Forum

ThePromenader

Member

Registered: 2011-03-25

Posts: 5

A "City Block" key?

Hello,

I really hope I haven't missed anything, but I find the present method of defining a city block as "highway=pedestrian" as a bit confusing. Doesn't there exist any method/key to show land between a block of buildings and the street? If anything, it is this basic "City block" that defines the form of a city's streets (a street, unlike a highway, is rarely regular in width and form). At present (at least as far as the city of Paris is concerned) I see every city block using the "highway=pedestrian" key (often mixed with 'area=yes') - this seems neither logical, and in looking at the reference for proper use of the term, correct.

In fact I would suggest that "cityblock" should be an option for the "landuse" key (as in landuse=cityblock). I can imagine a much simpler way of mapping the landuse key itself (starting with =urban and =rural), but that's another discussion...

Am I missing something here? If not, any thoughts?

Thanks, best,

ThePromenader.