In Praise of Walking: A New Scientific Exploration

by Shane O'Mara

‘What works best in the best cities is walkability,’ says Jeff Speck, the renowned urban planner.6 And the best walks in cities, according to Speck, must be useful, safe, comfortable and interesting. For a walk to be useful, according to Speck, ‘most aspects of daily life are located close at hand and organised in a way that walking serves them well’. Walking should be safe: this is self-evident, although sometimes ignored. Pedestrians should not be put at risk by fast-moving vehicles and should be treated by urban engineers with at least the same respect as traffic. (Imagine if we invested as much in walking in our cities as we do in driving in them!) Walks should also be comfortable, and here Speck outlines a powerful idea – that city planners and designers should think about urban streets as being akin to ‘outdoor living rooms’. We, the users and walkers of cities, should find the streetscape welcoming, with entertainment, seating, refreshment and diversion available. Finally, walks should be – must be – interesting. Speck suggests that to be interesting, our streets should have ‘unique buildings with friendly faces, and that signs of humanity abound’