Road Modes: Walking

ABSTRACT

As walking is a zero-emission mode of transport with well-documented health, environmental, economic, and social benefits, researchers and policy-makers in the domains of urban transport planning, public health, engineering, and other fields have been exploring how to increase both utilitarian and leisure walking. Efforts to identify built environment characteristics associated with these desired behaviors have therefore also flourished in recent years and the provision of walkable urban space has become a common policy goal in cities around the world. However, there are many social, cultural, political barriers that slow down a shift back to pedestrian-focused development patterns. This entry will introduce background on walking as a travel mode and discuss its many social, environmental, and economic benefits. How cities can plan for more livable and walkable areas as well as both the possible roadblocks and opportunities associated with these changes will be discussed. Measurement issues, such as the concept of "walkability” will be explored as well as emerging issues such as what walkable space might mean in an era of increasing online shopping and how pedestrians may need to share street space with autonomous vehicles. While the majority of impacts of increased walkability are positive, possible gentrification, displacement, and exclusion impacts have also been documented with improved walkable urbanism. New global health threats (such as COVID-19 and, e.g., urban heat islands exacerbated by climate change) have also shone a light on discrepancies across race, income, and other socio-economic factors on the availability of safe places to walk and access urban amenities and green space. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved