Desire Paths (aka Desire Lines) are pathways carved out by pedestrians, which usually indicate the shortest or preferred route between two points, in spite of where planners have placed sidewalks and official pathways. Robert Macfarlane described them as “paths & tracks made over time by the wishes & feet of walkers, especially those paths that run contrary to design or planning”. The video excerpt below illustrates a desire path that’s evolved outside Fairview Mall in Toronto, which saves pedestrians an almost kilometer-long detour if they need to walk east from the mall along Sheppard Avenue. If you want to see more desire paths there’s a Reddit page that documents them. According to the podcast 99% Invisible, which devoted an episode to desire paths, some urban planners study them as they map out and pave new official paths, letting pedestrians lead the way in determining where a sidewalk should go.