Pedestrians

Legalizing and Protecting Jaywalkers Through Design

Most crosswalks are straight lines, but many people walk across streets in an arc. One designer has proposed changing the way crosswalks are painted to improve pedestrian safety.

September 7, 2010 - Fast Co. Design

Pedestrianism a World Cup Legacy in Cape Town

Pedestrianism is on the rise in Cape Town, South Africa, where the recent World Cup has inspired more citizens to get out of their cars and put their feet on the street.

September 4, 2010 - The Christian Science Monitor

Bike Lanes Make Streets Safer for Pedestrians

A new study from the New York City Department of Transportation shows that streets with painted bike lanes are 40% less dangerous for pedestrians, among other findings.

August 30, 2010 - Tri-State Transportation Campaign

Cyclists and Elderly Also At Risk on New York City's Streets

New York City's broad study of years of traffic and crash data have given new insight to the city's transportation safety problems. Cyclists and the elderly are especially vulnerable, according to the report.

August 23, 2010 - The New York Times

Reducing Cyclist-Pedestrian Accidents in Japan

New rules in Japan say that cyclists are liable for accidents between themselves and pedestrians, especially on the country's sidewalks.

August 21, 2010 - The Mainichi Daily Times

Bikes and Peds A Threat to the Car?

National Journal asks its panel of transportation experts whether the car is really threatened by the rise in policy focus on pedestrians and cyclists.

August 4, 2010 - National Journal

Battle Over Closure of Paris Expressways

A political battle is brewing in Paris, where the city's mayor wants to close off sections of roadway along the River Seine, a move that President Nicholas Sarkozy is against.

June 28, 2010 - The New York Times

Johannesburg's Auto-Orientation and the Persecution of the Pedestrian Majority

You really need to almost get hit by a car to feel like a true Johannesburg pedestrian. That's the way it goes here. A huge, sprawling greater metropolitan area of about 10 million people covering more than 600 square miles, the city is built for the car. And if you're not in one, good luck.

May 31, 2010 - Nate Berg

L.A. Has More Bike and Ped Share Than Portland

Ryan Bradley takes a walk across Los Angeles to reflect on the city's transportation history.

May 18, 2010 - GOOD Magazine

Gainesville Tracks Drivers Yielding to Pedestrians

Police in Gainesville, Florida are trying to encourage drivers to be more cautious of pedestrians with a new sign and driver tracking program that tracks how many drivers are yielding to pedestrians.

May 8, 2010 - The Gainesville Sun

Fast Lanes for Pedestrians?

The sidewalks of Portland are so busy that the city is developing plans to create 6'-8' Pedestrian Zones—basically, fast lanes for moving pedestrians separate from other street activities.

March 27, 2010 - Vimeo

How New York Lost Its Sidewalks

Streetsfilms launches a new series they're calling "Fixing the Great Mistake.”

February 26, 2010 - Streetsblog

Pedestrians in the Sky

Pedestrians, street vendors, scooters and squatters all compete for space on the gridlocked sidewalks of Mumbai, where nearly 60% of the population travels by foot. Solution? 50 elevated walkways, or "skywalks."

February 2, 2010 - TheCityFix.com

Luring World Cup Tourists with Street Beautification Projects in Johannesburg

Residents in one of Johannesburg's most infamous townships are hoping that a new street beautification project will bring pedestrians out onto their streets and into their shops when the country hosts this year's World Cup.

January 28, 2010 - Scripps Howard News Service

Skywalks Sprout in Mumbai

The streets of Mumbai are packed with pedestrians. With few sidewalks and little room for the growing masses of walkers, city officials are looking to beat the pedestrian congestion by building overhead "skywalks" to bring people above the street.

January 26, 2010 - The Wall Street Journal

Friday Bummer: Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Commuting Cat

Casper, a cat from Plymouth, England who was frequently seen riding one of the town's bus lines, was tragically killed by a hit-and-run driver.

January 22, 2010 - The Herald

Delhi Gets First Pedestrian Guidelines

The Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) has for the first time created pedestrian design guidelines to ensure that walking in the city is a safe and a pleasurable experience.

December 6, 2009 - Hindustan Times

Transit Expansion is Streetlife Expansion in L.A.

An extension of one of L.A.'s light rail lines opened this past weekend. Los Angeles Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne offers a hopeful prediction that the extension will inspire an improvement in streetlife.

November 17, 2009 - Los Angeles Times

Jaywalking Not As Big A Safety Issue As Assumed

Over the past 15 years, more than 76,000 pedestrians have been killed in the U.S. Some say preventing a significant portion of these deaths is as simple as enforcing jaywalking laws. Not so, argues Tom Vanderbilt, author of Traffic.

November 15, 2009 - Slate

Dedicated Non-Motorist Lane on Vancouver Bridge Finds Public Support

Residents in Vancouver are reportedly in favor of keeping a dedicated lane for pedestrians and cyclists on a local bridge. Even some motorists are in support.

November 3, 2009 - The Vancouver Sun

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.