desire line
noun
variants
or desire path
plural desire lines or desire paths
: an unplanned route or path (such as one worn into a grassy surface by repeated foot traffic) that is used by pedestrians in preference to or in the absence of a designated alternative (such as a paved pathway)
There's a concept in landscape architecture called a desire line. It refers to a path worn into the ground by foot traffic, in defiance of the planned curves of sidewalks and roadways.—
Henry Grabar
Henry GrabarThis is the authoritarian approach to erasing a desire line: block it off with some type of obstacle—a fence, a bush, a pile of brush, a sharply (if, in this case, politely) worded sign.—Robert Moor
Robert MoorThe proposed fence would not enclose the parking lot, only limit its use as a desire path.—Zachary Oren Smith
Zachary Oren SmithCite this Entry
“Desire line.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desire%20line. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
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