Getting riverfront access right

I just visited one of Tampa's more walkable neighborhoods, Hyde Park. Like Jacksonville's Riverside, Hyde Park is a long walk from downtown, is a well-off 1920s streetcar suburb, and borders a body of water (in this case, Tampa Bay).

One area where Riverside is clearly superior to Hyde Park is water access. In Jacksonville, private homes border the St. John's River, and streets terminate at the river between the homes. Thus, a pedestrian has significant access to the river, since a few "public" feet lie between the private homes.

By contrast, in otherwise walkable Hyde Park, a nasty arterial, Bayshore Boulevard, separates private houses and sidewalks from Tampa Bay. So to get to the bay you have to cross the arterial; thus, Hyde Park residents are somewhat cut off from the bay.