Tag:barrier=retaining_wall
 barrier = retaining_wall
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| Description |
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A linear structure that holds back soil or rock. (Lower side to right.) 
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| Rendering in OSM Carto |
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| Group: barriers |
| Used on these elements |
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| Useful combination |
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Status: approved
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| Tools for this tag |
A 
retaining wall is a structure that holds back soil or rock from a building, structure or area. Retaining walls prevent downslope movement or erosion and provide support for vertical or near-vertical grade changes.
Also consider man_made=embankment for a raised bank to carry a road, railway, or the like.
Also consider one-sided cutting=*s if it lines a highway and isn't a man-made wall. They're more flexible (but slightly less accurate) if you're refining an established way which already has other aspects that rely on its direction, such as already being oneway=yes or cycleway:left=lane, that would need to change to incorporate barrier=retaining_wall's "right side is bottom, left side is top" convention.
How to map
barrier=retaining_wall behaves same as natural=cliff, that is no crossing as left-right are different heights.
Lower side on right side of way direction, often rendered with dots, triangles or the like.
Renderers and editors might indicate the lower side of the retaining wall (the right side of the OSM way) with small triangles pointing downwards.
Tags used in combination
Example
47°48′45.36″ N, 8°10′44.47″ E
Browse object 413183895
413183895 on map.
Similar tags
barrier=wall- A freestanding structure, designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary, typically made from solid brick, concrete or rocks, and almost always built so that it is opaque to vision.wall=flood_wall- A wall of which the primary function is flood protection.wall=seawall- A protective wall along the shore or beach that, unlike a quay wall, is not suitable for mooring ships.wall=castle_wall- A fortification of a castle.wall=noise_barrier- A wall which protects against noise on one of its sides.
barrier=ditch- A ditch or a trench is a long and narrow man-made barrier dug in the ground to prevent access to the other side.barrier=city_wall- A fortification used to defend settlements in ancient to modern times.barrier=fence- A freestanding structure designed to restrict or prevent movement across a boundary, generally distinguished from a wall by the lightness of its construction.embankment=*- A dyke or raised bank to carry a road, railway, or canal across a low-lying or wet area.embankment=dyke- A dyke but which also carries a road or railway.
man_made=embankment- An artificial steep slope.man_made=dyke- An embankment built to restrict the flow of water or other liquids.man_made=quay- A man-made structure alongside navigable water used for loading and unloading vessels.man_made=breakwater- A man-made structure designed to protect a shore or harbour from the sea and waves.man_made=groyne- A rigid structure built from a shoreline or riverbank that interrupts water flow and limits the movement of sediment.waterway=dam- A barrier built across a river or stream to block and regulate the flow of the river.natural=cliff- A vertical or almost vertical natural drop in terrain, usually with a bare rock surface. The bottom of the cliff is on the right side of the way.natural=earth_bank- Large erosion gully or steep earth bank.