The Jetsons would have us believe that flying cars and moving sidewalks are just around the corner. It turns out that the Jetsons live in an unhealthy environment in which the citizens would be fat, isolated and unhappy. The book, the Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time, by Jeff Speck [1] gives an alternative, and brighter future.

This blog is part of my ongoing effort to remember what I have read. I have tried to write it for your enjoyment, but its primary purpose is a better recall of this worthwhile book.

More than a Speck on the Urban Planning Landscape

Humans are born walkers (or runners) and until ~200 years ago we did not have much choice. A very small elite may have access to carriages and poor, muddy, and dangerous roads on which to use them. The train, bicycle, automobile and public transit has transformed much of humanity into riders over the past 150 or so years.

Speck wants to reverse this trend. Not eliminate other forms of transportation but definitely encourage and support walking. An architect and art history major [2], Speck has been a force in urban planning over the past two decades including having the number one best-selling book on urban planning over the past decade [3].

Two Parts to Walking

The book is split into two parts, with the first part detailing Speck’s “General Theory of Walkability.” The second part is Speck’s Ten-Step process to Walkability.

A central premise is: “The pedestrian is an extremely fragile species, the canary in the coal mine of urban livability. Under the right conditions, this creature thrives and multiplies. But creating those conditions requires attention to a broad range of criteria, some more easily satisfied than others.” [Chapter: A General Theory of Walkability]

Part 1: A General Theory of Walkability

The General Theory of Walkability has four main conditions. Each of these qualities is essential and none alone is sufficient.

1. Useful means that most aspects of daily life are found close at hand and organized in a way that walking serves them well.
2. Safe means that the street has been designed to give pedestrians a fighting chance against being hit by automobiles; they must not only be safe but feel safe, which is even tougher to satisfy.
3. Comfortable means that buildings and landscape shape urban streets into “outdoor living rooms,” in contrast to wide-open spaces, which does not attract pedestrians.
4. Interesting means that sidewalks are lined by unique buildings with friendly faces and that signs of humanity abound.

Part 2: Ten-Step Walkability

These are adapted from the book and other sources (see the notes below). Generally, this section is too high level for the urban planner and sometimes a bit too detailed for the casual reader.

1. Put cars in their place and Induced Demand.
   • Speck is not a big fan of traffic engineers, probably for good reason.
   • Increasing roadway traffic capacity leads to more cars on the road through a phenomenon of “induced demand”.
2. Mix the uses.
   • Downtowns need to combine places to live, work and shop.
3. Get the parking right.
   • “Ample parking encourages driving that would not otherwise occur without it.”
   • Parking is underpriced relative to its cost due to minimum parking requirements for buildings and businesses.
   • Consolidated parking for multiple buildings and businesses and higher prices, especially for curb parking, and shares a number of successful examples.
4. Let transit work.
   • “While walkability benefits from good transit, good transit relies absolutely on walkability.”
   • Public transportation is “a mobile form of public space,” and thus should be treated with respect and made pleasurable.
5. Protect the pedestrian.
   • “The safest roads (for drivers) are those that feel the least safe.”
   • Slower roads are typically the safest.
   • Curbside parking buffers the sidewalk from moving vehicle traffic.
6. Welcome bikes.
   • Bike traffic slows car traffic.
   • Car traffic isn’t really inconvenienced much if at all when the addition of cycling infrastructure is thoughtful.
7. Shape the spaces.
   • “Get the design right and people will walk in almost any climate.”
   • Make the walk interesting and enjoyable, villains’ here are parking lots and expansive architecture designed for the building not the person.
8. Plant trees.
   • Trees provide myriad public benefits, including natural cooling, reduced emissions and energy demand for air conditioning, and reduced stormwater pollution.
9. Make friendly and unique [building] faces.
   • “Pedestrians need to feel safe and comfortable, but they also need to be entertained.”
   • Stores and businesses with street-level windows as does disguised or lined parking, vertical building lines, and architectural details.
10. Pick your winners.
    • “Where can spending the least money make the most difference?”
    • Focus on downtowns first, and on short corridors that can connect walkable neighborhoods.

Short Comings and Other Thoughts

Golden Age of the Car. I have personally benefited from walkable cities, and endured cities striving to dissuade the walker. Growing up in Western Canada, the distances are typically too vast, weather too miserable, and infrastructure too sparse to do much but the minimum amount of walking. Cities such as Edmonton or Calgary were beneficiaries and victims of the golden age of the automobile in the second half of the 20th century.

Homelessness. One relevant aspect of walkability Speck does not touch is homelessness. Having visited Gastown in Vancouver many times, the area meets most of the criteria for walkability other than the sea of street people.

A Delicate Subject. One the one hand it violates many of the principles discussed above including feeling safe and being entertained. Homelessness also makes public spaces essentially single use for a narrow segment of the population. On the other hand, it is a thought crime to be anything other than supportive and compassionate about the disadvantaged. Nevertheless, I have confidence in Speck to deal with this question in a compassionate manner.

Reading for Civil Society. A good read and worthwhile for anyone interested in civil society, urban planning or just likes to go for a walk in their neighbourhood.

Notes and References

1. Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time.
2. Jeff Speck – Wikipedia
3. Jeff Speck | ULI Knowledge Platform
4. 10 Techniques For Making Cities More Walkable – CITI I/O