A desire path is an informal footpath that forms by itself because people consistently take the shortest route rather than the path that was built. You recognise it as a worn strip through grass, verge or planting. It is also called a desire line or, in Dutch, an olifantenpaadje — an elephant path, after the way elephants pick the shortest route through the landscape.
Why they appear
A desire path is not carelessness on the part of pedestrians — it is information for the designer, showing where the real movement line lies. They form in the same places almost every time:
- At a right-angled corner in a path, where the turn gets cut
- Between a bus stop or car park and the nearest entrance
- Where a path runs parallel to the wanted direction and only connects further along
- Around obstacles such as fences, planters or parked bicycles
Rule of thumb from practice: the greater the detour compared with the straight line, the more certain the path is to appear.
Using it in design
- Draw the movement lines first — on a new layout, set out the connections between entrances, gates and stops before drawing any paths
- Ease the corners — a generous radius or a chamfered corner prevents a path forming on the inside of the bend
- Surface it afterwards — on an existing site it is usually smarter to pave the path that has appeared than to block it
- Blocking rarely works — a fence or shrub normally just produces a new path immediately alongside
For a surfaced footpath, a practical minimum width is around 1.2 m so two people can pass. With a loose-bound surface of gravel or crushed stone, a well-compacted sub-base is essential to prevent rutting.
Related terms
- Public realm
- Paving
- Loose-bound surfacing
- Footpath
- Site layout
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