Jeff Speck’s Step-by-Step Guide to Making Better Urban Places

The new Walkable City Rules by Jeff Speck is an excellent book that can help your city become more hospitable to humans. Urban thinker Kaid Benfield reviews.

1 minute read

October 31, 2018, 1:00 PM PDT

By Hazel Borys


Pedestrians

ultramansk / Shutterstock

"If the purpose of Walkable City was to tell us why we need to make more people-friendly places, Walkable City Rules is intended to tell us how. To a great extent, it succeeds in its mission."

"I absolutely love the format: The book comprises 19 sections or “parts,” each containing some three to seven “rules.” Each section (e.g., “Get the Parking Right”) is introduced briefly, and each of the rules it contains (“Eliminate On-Site Parking Requirements”) is presented in a two-page layout with a headline followed by a narrative explication, an illustration or two, and then a slightly longer and more precise restatement of the rule."

"Unlike its predecessor, Walkable City Rules is full of examples and illustrations, including 120 full-color photos and figures. The volume is excellent for browsing and should make a great reference work."

Benfield goes on with a meaty review of Speck's book, along with a strong recommendation of its worth, particularly on the subjects of attainable housing and transit. He calls it "a manifesto for reforming urban transportation policy and infrastructure and ... reducing the negative impacts of automobiles on walkability and on our cities."

Wednesday, October 31, 2018 in PlaceShakers

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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