retaining wall adjacent to sidewalk

[david1926]

I am designing a retaining wall that is adjacent to a sidewalk (as the subject line implies). Would a 12' wide, 3" thick concrete sidewalk provide lateral resistance to prevent sliding? If so, is there any building code that references how this would be accounted for in calculations?

Thanks.

 

[bridgebuster]

No. What if the sidewalk is removed? There goes your sliding resistance (even if a 3" sidewalk could provide enough passive pressure).

Google City of Memphis Civil Standards, take a look at items 9 & 10 on the list