London has always been a pedestrian-friendly city. But over the last decade the number of daily trips taken on foot in the city jumped by 12 percent, while walking declined nationwide. What explains the capital's pedestrian popularity?
"One of the largest changes in the city over the past decade is the number of pedestrians, says Michèle Dix of Transport for London (TfL), which runs the city’s transport networks."
"Several reasons account for the walking boom," explains The Economist. These include population growth, overcrowded subways, improved wayfinding, pedestrian-friendly street designs, and health campaigns.
"But the capital is bucking the national trend," The Economist adds. "Although in 2011 walking was up across the country, it has seen an overall decline of 27% in Britain since 1995. This is partly caused by fewer children walking to school. And while rural rambles are still popular, fewer people are walking to their weekly grocery shop. Many more are shopping online. Local authorities want to change this. Pedestrians spend an average of £373 ($571) a month, compared with £226 for drivers, according to data from TfL. Ailing high streets and town centres need to win back walkers. Learning from London’s incentives would be a start."
FULL STORY: Footfalls
In Oslo, Streets for People, Not Cars
New measures will greatly reduce vehicle traffic in the city center as Oslo moves to put pedestrians, cyclists, and air quality before cars.
Playgrounds as an Essential Amenity
A London organization is working to bring ‘adventure playgrounds’ to park-poor neighborhoods, arguing that outdoor play is a key factor in child development.
Vermont Program Encourages Walking for Grocery Trips
A Burlington program is using grocery trolleys to remind residents that, for many of them, a grocery store is less than a mile away.
How Sharrows Became Cycling’s Most Hated Symbol
Originally designed as a low-cost way to encourage safer road sharing between bikes and cars, the sharrow has become a symbol of the lack of commitment to protected bike infrastructure in many cities.
Keanu Reeves Set to Play Daniel Burnham in ‘The Devil in the White City’
Planning is going to get a new level of star power as a limited series adaptation of The Devil in the White City gets ready for television screens in 2024.
Marrying Urban Identity and Economic Prosperity
A new book posits that truly successful communities have a strong economic base and a firmly rooted sense of place.
Sports Stadiums Bring Few Economic Benefits
While their developers often tout jobs and local economic development as benefits of major stadium projects, research shows these venues often make little impact on local economies.
A How-To for ‘Freeway Fighters’
Ten recommendations for effective freeway removal advocacy.
Miami Rapid Transit Project Moves Forward
The county completed the draft environmental impact study for a monorail and people mover planned as part of its rapid transit system.
McKenna
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
Kinexus Group
Cohousing Association of the US
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Rail~Volution
Sun City Center Community Association, Inc
City of Mesa
Town of Gilbert, Arizona
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.
