CityReads│30 Benefits of Walking Cities

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30 Benefits of Walking Cities

A walkable city is a better city.

Sources:

https://www.fastcoexist.com/3062989/50-reasons-why-everyone-should-want-more-walkable-streets

Picture source: Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte,1877

As more cities try to improve walkability, such as . A outlines the reasons behind the shift, the actions that cities can take to move away from a car-centric world, and why walkability matters.

This report consists of 50 drivers of change, 50 benefits, 40 actions and 80 global case studies.

The report sifted through dozens of studies to quantify 50 benefits of walkability in cities. We edit 30 of them as follows.

1  It helps people live longer

Inactivity is the fourth leading cause of mortality around the world; physical activity dropped 32% in the last four decades in the U.S., and 45% in less than two decades in China. For people over 60, walking just 15 minutes a day can reduce the risk of dying by 22%.

2   It helps people lose weight
A 30-minute walk can burn 100 calories; for every 12 blocks or so walked a day, your risk of obesity drops 4.8%.

3  It reduces the risk of chronic disease

Regular walking may reduce the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and colon cancer. Inactivity is a primary cause of most chronic diseases.

4   It makes people happier

Someone with a one-hour commute in a car needs to earn 40% more to be as happy as someone with a short walk to work. On the other hand, researchers found that if someone shifts from a long commute to a walk, their happiness increases as much as if they'd fallen in love. People who walk 8.6 minutes a day are 33% more likely to report better mental health.

5  It improves traffic safety

More than 270,000 pedestrians are killed around the world every year; better street design, and policies that reduce speed, can obviously help reduce the risk of crashes. Just shortening a long crosswalk can reduce the risk of pedestrian deaths 6%.

6  It brings back "eyes on the street" and reduces crime

While some countries invest in security cameras for streets—like the U.K., with 5.9 million cameras in public spaces—encouraging more people to walk is a cheaper way of increasing surveillance and making streets feel safer.

Making streets more pleasant for walking—reducing trash, for example, or enforcing the speed limit—also has the added benefit of reducing crime. In one Kansas City neighborhood, crime dropped 74% after some streets went car-free on weekends.

7  It makes neighborhoods more vibrant and enhances the “sense of place”

The same features that make streets more walkable, like a safer and more attractive design, make people want to spend more time in them generally, bringing vibrancy back to neighborhoods.

Spending time walking through a neighborhood, rather than driving, helps people have a better sense of what makes it unique—and more likely to want to help take care of it.

8  It fosters social interaction and strengthens community identity

Walkable streets bring people together who might not otherwise meet. In a classic 1960s study, people who lived on streets with more car traffic were less likely to know their neighbors.

As people interact more on streets, that also builds a sense of community. In Ireland, one study found that people in walkable neighborhoods had 80% more "social capital" than those living in car-dependant areas.

9  It builds inclusiveness
Traffic infrastructure, such as highways, can physically separate and segregate neighborhoods; better design for walkability makes the whole city more accessible to everyone. For the lowest-income people, who might lose a job if their car breaks down, it can help build a social safety net.

While not everyone can afford a car or knows how to drive, walking is universally accessible, and even those who take the subway or drive also walk at some points during the day. The report makes the point that designing pedestrian infrastructure for those who are less mobile also helps make the experience of walking better for everyone.

10  It boosts the economy and helps local businesses
Making neighborhoods more walkable increases the number of people who shop there. Pedestrians may spend as much as 65% more than drivers. In Brooklyn, redesigning a parking lot into a pedestrian plaza boosted retail sales 172%. In New York City, expanding the pedestrian space in Union Square reduced commercial vacancies 49%.

It also boosts employment; in Dublin, a redesigned pedestrian-friendly neighborhood led to a 300% increase in employment. Overall, biking and walking provide an estimated return on investment of $11.80 for every $1 invested.

11  It makes people more productive

Research suggests that walking boosts creative output an average of 60%. You're also more likely to be productive, improve memory, and make better decisions after exercise. Walking during work also helps: One internal study at a company found that people felt more energetic, focused, and engaged after walking meetings.

12  It improves a city's brand and identity and increases tourism

Making a city more walkable and liveable can also give it a stronger identity, and make people want to visit. Barcelona, which has worked on improving public spaces and walkability since the 1980s, has seen its number of annual visitors grow 335% over the last two decades.

For tourists, walking is one of the best ways to experience a city, and improving walkability makes more people interested in visiting. In London, Trafalgar Square saw a 300% increase in visitors after pedestrianizing.

13  It encourages more investment

After cities invest in walkable public space, it can encourage more investment in the same area. The High Line in New York led to $2 billion in private investment in the neighborhood around the park.

14  It attracts the creative class
Skilled professionals tend to migrate to walkable areas; the most walkable neighborhoods have much higher GDPs per capita, and more college graduates.

15  It shrinks the cost of traffic congestion
The more people walk and the fewer people are stuck in traffic on roads, the more that benefits the economy. In the Bay Area, for example, businesses lose $2 billion a year because employees are stuck in gridlock.

16 It saves money on construction and maintenance
While building and maintaining roads is expensive—the U.S. needs an estimated $3.6 trillion by 2020 to repair existing infrastructure—sidewalks are more affordable. Investing in sidewalks also brings health and air quality benefits worth twice as much as the cost of construction.

17  It reduces health care costs
Inactivity leads to huge health care costs. The U.S. spends $190 billion on obesity-related illnesses alone.

18  It decreases dependency on nonrenewable resources

Experts estimate that the world may only have 56 years worth of oil left; cars waste most of the gas they use. Walking, by contrast, can actually generate energy if cities install energy-harvesting sidewalk tiles.

19  It optimizes land use

Sidewalks and bike paths are more compact than roads; they also enable people to easily live in denser neighborhoods, unlike traditional car-dependant suburbs.

20  It reduces air pollution
On a single car-free day in 2015, Paris cut smog by 40% in parts of the city. Over the long term, pedestrianization can improve health as the air grows cleaner, and can help cut a city's carbon footprint.

21  It cuts ambient noise
With fewer people driving, cities get quieter. On Paris's first car-free day, sound levels on main roads dropped three decibels. Plants and trees—which make streets more walkable—also reduce ambient noise.

22  It helps improve urban microclimates
While paved roads contribute to the urban heat island effect, making cities hotter, shaded, plant-lined sidewalks can help cool neighborhoods down from 9 to 35 degrees.

23  It can improve water management

Sidewalks designed with permeable surfaces can help suck up water during heavy rain, reducing flooding.

24  It increases active use of space

In walkable neighborhoods, people are also more likely to make use of parks and public squares, and other outdoor spaces. In Copenhagen, as the city became more pedestrian-friendly over the last few decades, the number of people sitting in squares and otherwise making use of city space tripled.

25  It encourages people to drive less and promote flexible commuting schemes

Walkability promotes higher density levels and flexible commuting schemes that can foster the trend of declining car ownership and increased occupancy of motor vehicles through a wider range of on-demand travel options. In a virtuous cycle, the space allocated for car storage on roads, or elsewhere, could be reapportioned to pedestrians and the public realm.

When Copenhagen pedestrianized its main street, foot traffic increased 35% in the first year. In many cities, a large number of trips are only a short distance, and better design makes it more likely that people will prefer to walk or bike.

26  It makes cities more competitive
Walkability is directly connected to liveability. When Melbourne redesigned its center for pedestrians, it saw an 830% increase in residents, and it was recognized as The Economist's "world's most liveable city" five years in a row.

27  It builds public consensus

After the mayor of the Spanish city of Pontevedra decided to go car-free in 1999, the public loved him: He's now in his fifth term.

28  It promotes civic engagement

Every added 10 minutes of commuting cuts community involvement 10%.

29  It helps make cities more resilient
If people can easily walk, a breakdown in mass transit, or a gas shortage, is less of a problem. Walkability makes cities more resilient in disasters.

30  It promotes sustainable behaviors
In Canada, a study found that if people drove one less day a week, it could reduce 3.8 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions a year. As cities become more walkable, it can enable a cultural shift away from driving. Though the report doesn't mention it, taking one sustainable action can also lead people to take others.

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