Introduction.
Urban planning has always sought to balance the mobility of citizens, the efficiency of commerce, and government’s police power to ensure the safety and viability of state. When speaking of the mid-19th century, Barker stated, “There was a time when walkability was built into the city [,]…the population got around, for the most part, on foot [,]… the American city was dense collection of highly mixed land uses (Barker, L., 2012). The pedestrian-centric system, and a “30-minute walking radius from the city center [,] …generally dictated [,] …the size of the city” (Barker, L., 2012). Early urban design was dictated by the limits of leisurely human endurance.
“The term pedestrian is likely to be defined in legislation while walkability is not” (Forsyth, 2014). Human form is protected, but somehow,, human enjoyment is harder to legally define. As technological advances in transportation developed, walkability was replaced by the speed and personal freedom of the automobile. Today, “automobile dependence is as much a result of social and cultural attitudes as it is about the physical environment” (McAslan, 2018). The faster we wanted to move, early urban design for walkability became an obstacle to the speed of new transportation innovations.
In a way, living near natural settings (Transect Natural Zone T-1, or Rural Zone T-2) and driving in to work in the city center could be a daily playing out of Horace Greeley’s “Go west, young man and grow up with the country”(Chuchran, D., 2004). The daily routine of driving into work could be today’s version of going out to hunt in the morning, returning home with the catch of the day. In the process, we have forgotten to prioritize walkability.
The Disjointed Tentacles of the Low-Density Sprawl.
Urban planners, industry, and the community have been at odds in an attempt to equitably allow businesses to profit from development projects, improve local government fiscal policy, make commerce more efficient, and preserve nature — all the while keeping a high level of quality of life for its citizens. In an attempt to slow the low-density sprawl, communities are shifting efforts to revitalize the urban core and to make neighborhoods more walkable. In this paper, the author will explore the history of walkability and today’s best practices that incorporate density, pedestrian safety, and street-level economic vitality.
McAslan quoted Gillham that described sprawl as a “fragmented development due to the inefficient land markets increases driving distances between one place and another” (McAslan, 2018). Further, the low-density development, single use zones, commercial strip development, and leapfrog development [,] …poor accessibility and a lack of functional open space” (Ewing, 1997, McAslan, 2018). In the suburbs, residents leave the front door only to walk around a few blocks of matching homes and return to the same front door without ever speaking to another neighbor. Robert Putnam has described the disjointedness in physical communities as leading to the “decline in social capital” (Lewis, 2002). We have learned to create — isolation and space -within arms-reach.
Walkability and Safety of the Urban Core.
A. Increasing Walkability
“The pedestrian and walking are vital components of urban life [,] …the street has traditionally been a place for commerce, socializing, recreation and transportation — a place as diverse as the city itself” (McAslan, 2018). Ann Forsyth named key themes, namely: “transversable [,]…compact[,]… safe (from crime and traffic safety)[,]…, physically enticing[,]…, lively and sociable[,]…, achieve both the environmental preservation and social equity components [,]…exercise inducing” (Forsyth, 2015). Walking in urban areas has to feel challenging, but not too difficult, and feels safe, but not too isolated.
“A city sidewalk by itself is nothing [,] …It means something only in conjunction with the buildings and other uses that border it” (Jacobs, 1992, p. 29). Through this phrase, Jacobs paid homage to the idea of old — that streets should be multi-functional and, in a way, eclectic and somewhat unpredictable. Additionally, “Jane Jacobs (1961) was among the first to make connections between walking and neighborhood safety [,]…safe streets had three qualities [,]… a clear boundary between public and private space [,]…there were ‘eyes on the street’ acting as natural surveillance [,]…presence of natural street users” (Jacobs, 1961; McAslan, 2018).
B.Reducing the Number of Cars
“The pedestrianization of central city areas has been common practice in major cities like Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Vienna [,] …many cities restrict where automobiles can go” (McAslan, 2018). To reduce the number of cars in the city center, some local governments charge a fee for coming into the city, while other cities dictate which days particular cars can enter the city.
To keep the car population in check, instead of using “non-monetary controls, such as balloting or assigning licenses” (Ho, 2019), Singapore adds the “Additional Registration Fee” that range from 100% up to 180% of a car’s open market value, plus four other fees. As an example, a “$19,146 Toyota becomes $97,988” (Ho, 2019), which includes a $32,309 certificate of entitlement (COE) fee.
C. Street Level Safety.
According to Jane Jacobs, “The trust of a city is formed from many, many little public sidewalk contacts. It grows out of people stopping by at the bar for a beer, getting advice from the grocer and giving advice to the newsstand man, comparing opinions with other customers are bakery and nodding hello to the two boys drinking pop on the stoop.” (Jacobs, 1992, p. 56). Jacobs’ point of view highlights that walkability is more than the reduced number of car lanes and wider sidewalks, or the ratio of one building to the next structure, or the number of trees planted for shade. Feeling safe in the urban core demands conspicuous street-level interpersonal interaction by all members of the neighborhood.
Jacobs continues that “the social structure of sidewalk life hangs partly on what can be called self-appointed public characters [,]… these public characters need have no special talents or wisdom to fulfill his function [,]…he just needs to be present, and there need to be enough of his counterparts” (Jacobs, 1992, p. 68).
According to Leyden, “spontaneous ‘bumping into’ neighbors, brief (seemingly trivial) conversations, or just waving hello can help to encourage a sense of trust and a sense of connection [,]…to many residents, such contacts breed a sense of familiarity and predictability that most people find comforting” (Leyden, 2003).
D. Super-Block Planning, City Centers, and Slow Zones.
Barcelona is changing the city into “super-block grids 3-blocks by 3-blocks [,] …every three streets will accommodate automobile traffic and buses, while the interior streets be traffic claimed for local access [,] …parking will relocate underground” (Basells, 2016; McAslan 2018). In New York, “Slow Zones create a super block where streets within a certain area have reduced speed limits of 20 mph instead of the typical 25 mph” (America Walks, 2017; McAslan, 2018). This concept is similar to the walkable “city center” mentioned by Mr. Nick Deitch with multi-use structures where residents can walk to work, restaurants, and community events within a 5–10-minute walk.
Conclusion
Inresponse to sprawl, the urban planning community has vigorously revamped the way cities transport its citizens for work, business, and leisure. By carefully planning around the needs of the pedestrian first, city level specific plans and general plans are being adjusted to enhance multi-use neighborhoods into self-sustaining and unique socio-economic enclaves. It seems that a walkable, multi-use, and eclectic urban core also requires the right “public characters” to ensure its normalcy, safety and vitality. These can best be performed by the barber, the storekeeper, or the restaurant owner, or by children regularly interacting with senior citizens. The consistent micro-interactions of people from different walks of life help the sidewalks feel more “comfortable” and familiar. The energy of the people, in addition to structure, vertical height ratios, eclecticism, ambience, utility, width of sidewalks, or number of benches, creates the wellspring of “social capital” that ensures urban core walkability.
Copyright Leonard Casiple 2023. All rights reserved.
About the author: Leo Casiple is a first-generation American who grew up in Southern Philippines under martial law. He spent much of his 21-year career in the US Army as a Green Beret.
Leo is currently a doctoral student at Northeastern University’s Doctor of Law and Policy program (2022–2025 Cohort). He earned his education from California Lutheran University (MPPA), ASU Thunderbird School of Global Management (MBA in Global Management), Excelsior University (BS in Liberal Arts, Ethnic and Area Studies), Academy of Competitive Intelligence (Master of Competitive Intelligence™), Defense Language Institute and Foreign Language Center (18-month Arabic Language Course), and the US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (Special Forces Qualification Course and Psychological Operations Specialist Course).
For more information about the author, click here: Leo’s LinkedIn Profile
References
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Chucran, D. (2004, February 2). Go west, young man! Gold-Eagle: Gold Price Charts, News, & Analysis | Live Gold Rates. https://www.gold-eagle.com/article/go-west-young-man
Forsyth, A. (2015). What is a walkable place? The walkability debate in urban design. Urban Design International, 20(4), 274–292. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.callutheran.edu/10.1057/udi.2015.22
Ho, T. (2019, November 4). A no nonsense explanation on why cars in Singapore are so expensive. DollarsAndSense.sg. https://dollarsandsense.sg/no-nonsense-explanation-on-why-cars-in-singapore-are-so-expensive/
Jacobs, J. (1992). The death and life of great American cities. Vintage.
Lewis, J. A. (2002). Community design in the information age: A study of Calgary’s Southeast Planning Area (Order No. MQ77408). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (304802592). https://ezproxy.callutheran.edu/login?url=https://www-proquestcom.ezproxy.callutheran.edu/docview/304802592?accountid=9839
Leyden, K. M. (2003). Social capital and the built environment: The importance of walkable
neighborhoods. American Journal of Public Health, 93(9), 1546–51. https://ezproxy.callutheran.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.callutheran.edu/docview/215099978?accountid=9839
McAslan, D. (2018). Walking, Transit Use, and Urban Morphology in Walkable Urban Neighborhoods: An Examination of Behaviors and Attitudes in Seattle (Order №10902999). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2079641127). https://ezproxy.callutheran.edu/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.ezproxy.callutheran.edu/docview/2079641127?accountid=9839