(Sarah Gardner — Marketplace) What makes a city walkable? According to Jeff Speck, the author of “Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step At A Time,”
a walk has to be useful, safe, comfortable, and interesting if you’re
going to get people out of their cars and onto the sidewalks. (See book cover next blog entry)
“The pedestrian has to have a fighting chance against being hit by automobiles,” says Speck, “but also the streets need to be comfortable in the way they’re shaped by buildings, and you can’t have a bunch of blank walls and parking lots to walk by.”
...
Many cities are doing good things to make their cities more walkable, but Speck says most average American cities still have a long way to go to become truly walkable. Why? The car is still the driving force in city planning.
“A city is being planned not by its mayor,” says Speck, “but by a public works director who is responding to complaints (Waaaaaaaah!) about traffic and parking.” (and the personal entitlement to drive -LS) -Transportation Nation
“The pedestrian has to have a fighting chance against being hit by automobiles,” says Speck, “but also the streets need to be comfortable in the way they’re shaped by buildings, and you can’t have a bunch of blank walls and parking lots to walk by.”
...
Many cities are doing good things to make their cities more walkable, but Speck says most average American cities still have a long way to go to become truly walkable. Why? The car is still the driving force in city planning.
“A city is being planned not by its mayor,” says Speck, “but by a public works director who is responding to complaints (Waaaaaaaah!) about traffic and parking.” (and the personal entitlement to drive -LS) -Transportation Nation
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