I love the octagon intersection feeling as well! It makes you want to... stop there for a little while, not just keep going straight. It might be similar to the "square" (the round ones) feeling, they're always considered as great venues to meet up with someone, to organize flash mobs, to locate things around, etc.
I wonder how we can recreate this feeling in struggling cities? Is it about the geometry? The location? A specific landmark/neighborhood feeling around it? Etc.
I'm wondering if this also could be replicated indoors... Imagine a movie theater, with theater style seats. Why if they were modulable and we could reorder them in a more round shape for certain events? Same thing with classrooms (in my school, we use sometimes classrooms for student club events for example, and we would always start by reordering the chairs and tables...).

Thanks Whitney. On the role of stoops and of other elements in cities that create rules of engagement, you might like the ideas by the architect James Sanders. See my notes posted after a talk I attended last year: http://blogs.poly.edu/bsww/2011/04/10/rules-of-engagement-what-makes-a-street-a-good-street/

I read an article about this in the Toronto Star a few years ago... they said suburbs around Toronto should model themselves on already existing neighbourhoods such as Bloor West Village, Roncesvalles, & The Annex to name a few. Each of these neighbourhoods has a main street for grocery shopping, buying clothes, gifts, going out to eat, & all are accessible by foot. It's a fact that people in the suburbs are usually fatter because they drive everywhere! In the article a family was profiled & they said they were much more active since they had moved from the suburbs to the city.

Hi Whitney, thanks for feeling inspired by the St. Raymond post... Indeed! the lovely stops, little shops and front porches is what I always think of and miss of Montreal when I am not there... What about your city? Do you have examples (photos) of those around your area? You might want to share those here :)