Walkable Futures

Walkable
Cities
Walkable Futures
October 9th, 2024
Agenda
Walkable cities and towns are in higher

demand than ever and are a great step in the
reduction of our impact on Climate Change
Today we will discuss:
• What is a walkable city?
• How are walkable cities increasing in
demand?
• Objectives and Goals for increasing
Walkability
• How walkable cities are tied to climate
change reduction
• Walkable City Benefits and Impacts
WALKABLE CITY
A walkable city is one where people have the ability to easily and
safely walk to most areas they visit, like parks, businesses, shops, or
schools. Walkable cities improve the environment, lower traffic, and
encourage better quality of living.
• Copenhagen, Denmark -Copenhagen is recognized for its

bike lanes, pedestrian-friendly streets, and car-free
zones. With almost 62% of citizens biking to work, the
city emphasizes walking and cycling. Green areas and
public squares promote walking and outdoor activities
• Paris, France -Paris' small, interconnected
neighborhoods are renowned. The city greatly expanded
pedestrian zones, footpaths, and car-free areas like the
Seine River. Public transit, shops, cafés, parks, and
cultural events are easily accessible by foot.
• Florence, Italy- It is a highly walkable city with compact
streets, historic landmarks, and charming piazzas easily
explored on foot. It encourages a more immersive
experience, promotes physical activity, reduces traffic
and pollution.
How Walking is On the Rise
Walkable cities started as a reaction to the car-centric urban planning that dominated much of the 20th
century, particularly after World War II. This era saw cities in many parts of the world, especially the US, design
their urban plans around cars. This has led to urban sprawl, traffic congestion, and environmental degradation.
The shift toward walkable cities began with growing awareness of the social, environmental, and health
costs of car-dependent cities.
• The Jane Jacobs Influence (1960s):(Jane Jacobs, an urban activist and author, was a major figure in shifting
urban planning toward walkability. Her book, "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" advocated for
the importance of sidewalks, dense urban environments, and lively streets that encourage social
interaction, laying the groundwork for future walkability movements.)
• European Models of Urban Planning (1970s-80s): (Cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam became early
adopters of walkable, bike-friendly design in the 1970s. Faced with rising car traffic, they invested in bike
lanes, pedestrian zones, and public transportation, moving away from the car-centric planning that was
taking over much of the world.)
How Walking is On the Rise
• Environmental Awareness and Sustainability (1990s-Present):(As environmental
concerns grew in the 1990s and 2000s, particularly regarding climate
change and air pollution, the walkable city movement gained momentum. Portland,
Oregon became a North American leader during this time, integrating green spaces,
walkability, and public transit into its urban design.)
• New Urbanism (1980s-Present):(The 1980s New Urbanism movement sought to
create walkable, human-scale communities through forms of mixed-use
development. Designs produced by Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk
promoted public transportation, biking, and walking.)
Case Study
• This study focuses on making urban environments that prioritize walking and
biking, rather than driving.
o Creating neighborhoods where you don't have to get in your car to get
groceries or other essential goods that you need to survive is what
they aim for.
• The main goal of this is to lower greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing
the quality of life for residents.
o Project drawdown advocates for mixed-use developments, which
brings together residential, commercial, and recreational spaces;
allowing it to be easier for locals to access essential goods on foot.
• By reducing car use, we lower greenhouse gas emissions.
o Walkable cities also promote the preservation of green spaces.
o Plus, they create stronger communities that can better handle
extreme weather and emergencies, making it easier for people to
access essential services nearby.
Objectives and Goals
OBJECTIVES GOALS
• Promote Sustainable Transportation • Creating a Space for Active Transportation
o Create a community where most people walk or o By creating pedestrian friendly neighborhoods, it
bike to work and other places. gives people an incentive to walk and bike instead
o Promoting public transportation for longer trips. of drive.
o Walking also improves mental health and can
• Improve Accessibility and Foster Community combat illnesses like heart disease.
Engagement
o Dynamic public spaces, such as mixed-use • Creating Sustainable Cities
developments, in walkable cities foster o Fewer cars means less carbon emissions. When
community, allowing people to come together people don’t have to drive, there will be significantly
easier. fewer cars on the road, reducing emissions.
o Creating cities where you don’t have to get o Creating walkable neighborhoods allows essential
behind a wheel to get groceries or pick your goods to be accessible by foot.
children up from school.
• Fostering Sustainable Communities
• Support Local Economies o By giving people the option of walking, it creates a
o Walking increases foot traffic, therefore collective understanding of sustainability not just
supporting nearby businesses. for current residents but also for future generations.
o Local businesses may be strengthened by the
accessibility of walkways, to the shops, cafés,
and marketplaces.
Management Strategy
The management strategy used in this case is mitigation.

• Focused on reducing greenhouse gasses through behavior change (eating less meat, mindful
consumption, producing less waste)
o Making walkable cities more of a priority and making fundamental changes in systems to
make walkable cities more common will allow for less greenhouse gas emissions and a
healthier environment overall.
• Can be technological or social changes
• Greenhouse gas emissions are "firmly rooted in the current organization of economic and social
systems," which means that fundamental changes in these systems will be necessary to produce a
change.
• In order to make a change to the system to allow for more walkable cities, politics will have to get
involved. Politicians will have to hear from people that they want more walkable cities and to
reduce the greenhouse gas emissions produced by using so many cars to get around.
• By using public transport instead of personal vehicles, we reduce harmful emissions while
providing economic opportunities by creating jobs and allowing people to get to work and
businesses with less strain on the environment.
Benefits and Impacts
• Walkable neighborhoods are better for • Walkable neighborhoods and cities
the environment, the economy and our allow for more physical activity to take
health. People in Chicago can walk place, which allows for healthier
more places than people in Houston, residents. Rates of obesity and
which reduces Chicago's gasoline diabetes are lower in more walkable
consumption by a significant amount. neighborhoods.
Average gasoline consumption per
capita in Houston is about 200 gallons
higher than Chicago. • To get people to stop driving cars so
much, they must want to switch to
another mode of transportation.
• When people can get from place to Shifting focus away from cars and
place on foot, they don’t have to spend making walking and biking easier by
as much money on getting around, building sidewalks and bike lanes will
because they do not have to own a car help influence people to walk and bike
to maintain the same quality of life. to their destination instead.
Assessment
• Having a more sustainable
community where cars are not the
norm will reduce carbon emissions,
which creates cleaner air and a
What did
healthy society.
Critiques
• Residents with disabilities might have a
harder time walking around or getting to
we learn?
public transportation.
o This plan heavily relies on
mobility of locals
• It is going to be a lot easier for wealthier

areas to create walkable neighborhoods
because they have the funds to do so.
o Lower-income areas will have to
rely on the city to help them fund
this initiative.
Citations
• Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Random House, 1961.
• Gehl, Jan. Cities for People. Island Press, 2010.
• Duany, Andrés, et al. Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the
American Dream. North Point Press, 2000.
• Litman, Todd. “The New Urbanism: Critique and Alternative Solutions.” Victoria
Transport Policy Institute, 2017, www.vtpi.org.
• Kahn, M. E. (2000). The environmental impact of suburbanization. Journal of Policy
Analysis and Management, 19(4), 519-544.
• Hasse, J., & Lentz, K. (2012). The impact of the built environment on local business:
Evidence from the U.S. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 138(1), 56-66.
• Deka, D. (2004). Walking and the built environment: A case study of access for
people with disabilities. Transportation Research Record, 1866(1), 38-44.
Citations
• "Walkable Cities Can Benefit the Environment, the Economy, and Your Health." The
Climate Reality Project, 8 July 2021.
https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/walkable-cities-can-benefit-
environment-economy-and-your-health
• "Walkable Cities." Project Drawdown, https://drawdown.org/solutions/walkable-
cities. Accessed 3 October 2024.

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Walkable

Walkable cities and towns are in higher

• Copenhagen, Denmark -Copenhagen is recognized for its

The management strategy used in this case is mitigation.

• It is going to be a lot easier for wealthier

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