Introduction: Walking & Walkability
Walking is one of the most primal acts of life. It is as vital as breathing or thinking. Often, when people are unable to think clearly, they are advised to “take a walk.” Incidentally, walking is the first and foremost medium of transportation. Almost all the trips in life begin directly with walking. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” is a quote quite famous all over the world. Thus, walking plays a fundamental role in human growth and revolution.
Despite its importance, modern city planning committees and municipalities do not take walking into account while devising urban road networks. Rapid motorization and urbanization have resulted in the elimination of walkways, crosswalks, and pedestrian infrastructure. Thus, most areas in the city are redesigned to accommodate the increasing number of vehicles, better traffic flow, and motorized mobility. But in doing so, they destroy pedestrian infrastructure, make walking inaccessible, put civilians’ lives at risk, and incur heavy economic and environmental losses on a national and international level.
Furthermore, due to the poor design of roads, pedestrians are forced to employ vehicles even for shorter trips, which results in heavy gas consumption, carbon emissions, air and noise pollution, traffic congestion, road rage, parking space disputes, and mental anxiety from spending hours in traffic. People using vehicles for short trips also end up spending more money on fuel and maintenance, and lessen their physical activity, resulting in deteriorated health. The irony of motorized urban transport is evident in the practice where citizens travel to parks and gyms in big SUV cars to practice “walking” on treadmills.
Big organizations like the World Bank have recognized and emphasized the importance of walking for urban transport. It is not only a cheap and carbon-free medium for traveling, but it also improves civilian health, safety, infrastructure, tourism, and engagement with the city. The convenience of a civilian to access walking pathways is called the walkability of a city, and the measurement of safety, security, and convenience is called the Walkability Index.
What is Walkability Index
The Walkability Index is the measurement of a pedestrian’s accessibility to walking. Basically, it is the measure of safety, security, and convenience of walking infrastructure in the city. Different organizations and universities have ranked blocks and areas in the city according to their Walkability Index. The index is calculated based on various factors that take pedestrian enjoyment, safety, and convenience into account. Some of the reports published by the World Bank, CleanAir Asia, and the US’s EPA can be accessed below. (They are also available on their official websites.)
Challenges To Walking
Lack of Pedestrian Infrastructure: Pedestrians are forced to walk on the road and street, increasing the chances of roadside accidents.
Obstacles: Natural obstacles, roadblocks, construction barricades, and banners hamper everyday walking routes, forcing civilians to travel long distances or resort to jumping obstacles, putting their health at risk.
Encroachment: Vendors and illegal car parking often take up whatever little space is left for pedestrian use.
Security: Pedestrians often complain that a lack of streetlights at night, threats to life, and criminal activities make walking impossible, especially in towns like Delhi, which are infamous for women’s safety and other critical issues.
Safety: According to a 1997 report, more than 50% of traffic accidents involve bystander pedestrians who are caught up in motorized accidents through no fault of their own. The safety of civilians becomes of utmost importance.
Comfort: Walking should not only be convenient but also a comfortable and enjoyable experience. However, recent complications in air quality index (AQI), rising smog, and presence of particulate matter (PM) in the air hinder walking experience.
How Walking Saves Money & The Environment
According to various reports, the development of pedestrian infrastructure can advance various sustainable development goals and contribute to improving the environment. A high walkability index makes transport accessible, equitable, and safe for all the residents of an urban locality. It also stimulates economic development on both individual and public levels. Here are a few areas where walking is beneficial to you and the city:
Health & Public Health
Also Read: 7 Surprising Benefits Of Walking
Many people suffer from obesity and cardiovascular problems that can even prove fatal. There is an obesity epidemic spreading in urban hotspots. These health-related problems are directly linked to a lack of physical exercise, sedentary habits, and inactive lifestyles. Furthermore, treatment and hospitalization result in costly bills, a reduction in quality time with family, and other severe complications that negatively impact the health and finances of an individual.
According to a report by World Bank:
The creation of walkable neighborhoods is a proven method for encouraging more active lifestyles and improving the overall health of residents. Access to shops, public transport, and amenities such as parks and public spaces encourages residents to walk and, therefore, increases the amount of physical activity they engage in daily. Residents of walkable neighborhoods are twice as likely to meet daily recommended amounts of physical activity as residents in areas unamenable to walking. Walking connections to public transport can increase physical activity as well, since public transport users tend to walk more daily than non-users.
This increased physical activity from walking can reduce the incidence of chronic diseases. Walking just one kilometer per day is linked to a 4.9 percent decrease in the likelihood of obesity and also lowers the risk of heart disease. Thirty minutes of moderate exercise, such as walking, can reduce a person’s risk of diabetes by 30 to 50 percent. Investment in pedestrian infrastructure can also positively impact mental health, as 30 minutes of walking three times per week is associated with reduced anxiety and depression.
These research findings are well-known even on a public level, as many people are aware of the 10,000 steps quota. However, the lack of pedestrian infrastructure forces people to rely on motorized vehicles, thereby putting their health at risk. Access to walking infrastructure like walkways, parks, and pathways can improve physical health while reducing costs on hospital bills and unnecessary trips to clinics.
Social Equity and Equal Accessibility
Every citizen in the city has the right to access all public spaces equally. However, urban city design enforces discriminatory practices by relying heavily on motorized forms of transport. In other words, people with vehicles have a higher chance of reaching a place simply because no other means of transport exists in the city. This means that due to poor or non-existent public transport, pedestrian walkways, walking corridors, and foot-over-bridges, many residents cannot even access public spaces in the city. Sometimes, it forces individuals to drive vehicles and emit carbon even for trips that could have been completed without them.
Increased awareness of walking and investing in better walking infrastructure will make public spaces accessible to all. This means that even the most vulnerable groups in the city will have improved mobility and transportation options. Furthermore, better walking infrastructure prompts the government to improve public transport facilities, which in turn reduces daily traffic and lowers carbon emissions.
Economic Opportunities
Well-designed streets with high walkability, corridors, and interconnected gulleys have proven beneficial for business, commerce, and tourism. They not only reduce motorized transport but also lower the cost of traffic congestion. Furthermore, pedestrians often discover local shops and attractions, thereby increasing retail sales, business transactions, and property values. They also reduce the costs incurred in large-scale construction for road development and maintenance.
Environmental Protection & Lower Carbon Emissions
According to a report by Our World In Data:
Over short to medium distances, walking or cycling is nearly always the lowest carbon way to travel. While they’re not in the chart, the carbon footprint of cycling one kilometer is usually in the range of 16 to 50 grams CO2eq per km depending on how efficiently you cycle and what you eat.
Using a bike instead of a car for short trips would reduce travel emissions by around 75%.
Public transport is usually your best option if you can’t walk or cycle. Trains are particularly low-carbon ways to travel. Taking a train instead of a car for medium-length distances would reduce emissions by around 80%. Using a train instead of a domestic flight would reduce your emissions by around 86%.
Hannah Ritchie (2023) – “Which form of transport has the smallest carbon footprint?” Published online at OurWorldinData.org. Retrieved from: ‘https://ourworldindata.org/travel-carbon-footprint’ [Online Resource]
Conclusion
Higher walkability index with improved pedestrian facilities can prove beneficial to the city, people, and the environment. Better walking infrastructure, access to local spaces in the city, and interconnected streets can not only reduce traffic & lower emissions, but also improve physical & mental health, create social equity, increase economic opportunities, and increment property price. It is a win-win situation for all stakeholder and is an important area in fighting climate change. By becoming more aware about walkability and prompting initiatives to build better walking infrastructure, pedestrians can advocate for improved physical health and environment leading to a happier and healthy society.
