Depressed corners

Depressed corners gradually lower the level of the sidewalk, through an almost
undetectable change in slope, to meet the grade of the street. Depressed corners
are often designed as an expanded diagonal curb ramp that extends around the
entire corner at the intersection. In addition, a decorative pattern is often used in
downtown urban areas to visually blend the sidewalk and the street, giving the effect
of one smooth pathway.

Although depressed corners eliminate the need for a curb ramp, there are very
significant drawbacks to the use of depressed corners by pedestrians. Typically,
depressed corners:

Advantages of depressed corners

Give children and people with cognitive impairments the illusion that the
sidewalk and street are a unified pedestrian space (i.e., safe).

Disadvantages of depressed corners

Enable large trucks to travel onto the sidewalk to make tight turns, which puts
pedestrians at risk;
Make it much more difficult to detect the boundary between the sidewalk and
the street for persons with vision impairments;
Guide animals may not distinguish the boundary and continue walking; and
May encourage motorists to drive on the sidewalk, enabling them to turn at
higher speeds and making it less likely that they will notice or be able to quickly
stop for pedestrians on the sidewalk or in the crosswalk.

Figure 7-13. PROBLEM: Decorative patterns used at depressed corners, such as this
brick pattern, create a continuous pathway. People with vision and cognitive
impairments have difficulty detecting where the street begins and ends.
 Figure 7-14. Detectable warnings, contrasting surface materials, and barrier posts
are measures that can be utilized to convey the transition between the street and
sidewalk at depressed corners. This corner would be a good location for accessible
signals.

Given the significant amount of potential problems with depressed corners, this
design is not recommended in new construction. If a depressed curb already exists,
the following steps should be taken to improve pedestrian access and safety:

Install detectable warnings at the edge of the sidewalk to clearly identify the
pedestrian/vehicular boundary;
Use distinct colors and materials to outline or edge the crosswalk, the sidewalk,
and the roadway; and
Add intermittent barriers, such as planting boxes or bollards, next to the curb to
prevent cars from traveling onto the sidewalk when turning the corner. Space
the barriers at least 915 mm (36 in) apart to permit wheelchair users to pass. If
bollards are used, they should be installed from the centerline out to encourage
pedestrian directional flow and to prevent pedestrian congestion.

Reference:

https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/bicycle_pedestrian/publications/sidewalk2/sidewa
lks207.cfm