Don't look now, but this stretch of High St ... ... will soon be turned by Yale into a pedestrian utopia. More lighting, moveable tables and chairs, a stormwater teaching garden, and an eco-friendlier ​“community plaza” open to pedestrians and bikes but not cars — except during Yale move-in and move-out days.All of that is on tap for a portion of High Street, as Yale planners unveiled early-stage designs for how a city-owned downtown block will be transformed by summer 2026. Yale representatives and architects with SCAPE Landscape Architecture described those plans Tuesday night during an online public meeting about the coming conversion of a portion of High Street, between Chapel and Elm.Per the terms of a city-Yale agreement first proposed in November 2021 and approved by alders in April 2022, the university will be turning that block into a pedestrian-only walkway, akin to Alexander Walk further up Yale’s campus on Wall Street. Unlike with that latter car-less ​“street,” the city has retained ownership of the High Street block in question — even as it’s given Yale permission for an indefinite period of time to design, convert, and maintain the publicly owned land that sits right in the middle of the university’s downtown campus. As planners and public attendees stressed time and again Tuesday night, accessibility and eco-friendly design should be main focus points for what’s to come on High Street. The section of High Street consists of a total of 1.3 acres, and will be turned by Yale into a ​“park-like pedestrian gathering space,” all while maintaining its accessibility to New Haveners and Yale students alike. Jason Hickey, a planner with the university, described the plans as a ​“napkin sketch,” with the team being in a ​“very early point in the design process.” The construction timeline, as of now, outlines construction starting spring 2025 and will continue throughout the year, ending in early summer 2026.“You see that [the street] is serving as a connective space, both within the New Haven network of bike trails and parks and greens and public spaces, and it’s a critical kind of connection within the fabric of Yale’s campus,” SCAPE principal designer Laura Marett.The presentation revealed plans to narrow the portion of High Street to 15 to 20 feet wide with a ​“Welcome Gate” on the side intersecting with Chapel. Noting the darkness and unwelcoming nature of the intersection’s current state with the Yale University Art Gallery arch overhead blocking some light, SCAPE associate architect Greta Ruedisueli shared plans to incorporate more lighting, include moveable tables and chairs for gathering, and implement a stormwater teaching garden. The team intends to salvage materials from the boneyard, a site of reusable stone and other metals off of Yale’s West Campus, to construct the street. Considering eco-friendly design, the architects intend to include bioswales along the street.“We’ve been thinking about as a design team how we can draw inspiration both from really active urban places that people love, as well as some of the more natural places,” Marett continued. ​“We’re looking for ways to reinvent these in the landscape and really draw inspiration from places like East Rock Park and how rocks are coagulated and formed there.”Further down the street past the intended Welcoming Gate on Chapel, two additional sites will be altered to become more community oriented. On the junction with the Library Walk, the architects included plans to place more seating areas, as well as having bioretention planting, incorporating native plants, and lining the street with reclaimed materials. On the part of the street with Harkness Tower hanging overhead, similar plans to include more seating and gathering spaces were revealed, with the emphasis being on transforming the space to a ​“community plaza,” with intended ​“daily and specialized activity.”On the other northern end of the street, facing Elm Street, Yale plans to refigure the space as a ​“gateway,” with seating nooks and a pedestrian walkway. Ruedisueli also mentioned that though the street will have a ​“tight right-of-way,” the walkway would open up for cars during Yale move-in and move-out, and would also provide enough space for emergency vehicles. The street, while in the heart of Yale’s campus, will continue to be a city-owned street.When asked by the presenters what would draw them to the street, attendees anonymously selected options through an interactive quiz, with many selecting a farmers market, concerts and performances, seasonal activities, and art — programming that will be welcome to both New Haveners and Yale students.When asked what priorities the designers should emphasize in their planning, attendees sent in their own responses:“That it doesn’t feel like a Yale only/Yale exclusive space.”“Non Yalies need to be welcomed.”“Keep the bike lane.”“Respite.”“Yale student experiences need to be prioritized.”“Lighting.”“Keep the historic name as part of the place. ​‘High Walk’ is good for memory and way finding.”The last suggestion garnered a deeper discussion about what exactly to name the street. Presenters opened up the discussion to attendees, many of whom emphasized finding a name that preserved the history of the street. One attendee said to keep the name ​“High Street” as opposed to a street with the term ​“Walk” (such as Alexander Walk), noting that the ​“Walk” titling indicates a Yale ​“exclusive” sentiment. As of now, the team has yet to select a name.After the main presentation, attendees were sent into breakout rooms with members of the design team to discuss questions about the design. One attendee, Robert Grzywacz, raised concerns about its proposed ​“geometry.”“All the ideas sound great, but when I see the images, I see things that don’t have anything to do with architecture that defines the space,” Grzywacz said.Grzywacz also questioned how parking would be impacted. Another attendee Stephen Updegrove noted the ​“two-dimensionality” of the proposed walkway, worrying about how storm water would impact the street. Marett clarified that the team intended to include more ​“undulation” to account for the rainwater.Architects in the larger meeting shared concerns raised in their groups, including how design would look in the ​“dead of winter,” maintaining access to the post office on Elm Street, and incorporating Yale student input. The team will have another community workshop and host a celebration at High Street in early spring 2025.Parameters for the High Street conversion. Four locations on High Street conversion: Welcome Gate (on Chapel), Library Walk Junction, Harkness Plaza, Elm Street Gateway. Looking south on High, from Elm.