Are We Doing This Right? – Sidewalks Edition
In this installment of the 'Are We Doing This Right?' series, we take on the humble sidewalk. We packed a lot into this episode, including:
How the use of the street right-of-way has changed over time
Who “pedestrian infrastructure” is really for
The common use of the term “pedestrian” and its implications
The bizarre ways sidewalks get paid for (and who that impacts most)
The recent resurgence in walking awareness
Elements of successful sidewalks
Scoring streets for their sidewalk quality
How shared space eliminates the need for the sidewalk
And of course, we answer the question, “Are we doing this right?”
Here are some great resources if you’d like to do go further:
How to fix city sidewalks (Curbed)
The myth of pedestrian infrastructure in a world of cars (City Observatory)
Housing in the Evolving American Suburb (Urban Land Institute)
America's Walking Renaissance (America Walks)
The Crisis in American Walking (Slate) – this is the first in a five-part series
The surprising politics of sidewalks (Popular Science)
Sidewalk Hate Runs Deep in Some Suburban Neighborhoods (Treehugger)
Video: Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Physical Activity in the Black Community (NACDD)
The 8 Principles of Sidewalks (WRI Brasil)
Throwin' a curb ball: Why cities are looking to redesign sidewalks and curbs (TransitScreen)
It's Time to Fix America's Urban Sidewalk Gap (Bloomberg Citylab)
Shared Streets (Global Designing Cities Initiative)
A Sidewalk Isn't Enough (Strong Towns)
Want to discuss this further?
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