What are Walkable Cities??

Walkable cities use planning, design, and density to maximize walking and minimize driving. Emissions decrease as pedestrians take the place of cars.
Walkability is a term for planning concepts best understood by the mixed-use of amenities in high-density neighborhoods where people can access said amenities by foot. It is based on the idea that urban spaces should be more than just transport corridors designed for maximum vehicle throughput. Instead, it should be relatively complete livable spaces that serve a variety of uses, users, and transportation modes and reduce the need for cars for travel.

Ok That Sounds Cool, But How Does That Benefit Me?

I'm glad you asked!! Living in a walkable city has several benefits for you, the people around you and the environment!! Here are some listed below:

• Due to nearly 290 million cars on the road in the US, the transportation sector is now the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. That's not good for you, me or the planet. I like knowing that my grandkids won't need gas masks to go to school everyday and so should you. Unless you don't want to have kids. Then I'm sure you would be happy knowing other people's kids don't need to wear gas masks to avoid breathing in the carbon emmisions from all the cars on the road. By creating more walkable cities we can keep cars of the road and reduce carbon emmisions.


• It's also just good for your health to walk more. Like why get in your car and drive to a gym that you have to pay a membership for when going outside and touching grass is free.

• Living in walkable cities is also super convenient and a great money saver. You ever go man I could really use a burger right now? But the nearest fast food place is 10 minutes away, BY CAR? I do to but once I think about the cost of gas and just the chore of driving on an endless boring asphalt road for 10 minutes because nothing is close enough to walk to and there are no ways to walk there even if there was something close by, I immediately don't get hungry anymore and just eat what's at home. Having to drive everywhere takes up a lot of gas and with the rising prices of fuel, it feels like a never ending payment to a subscription you were forced to purchase.


• Walkable cities are also good for the economy. When you're in your car, to save gas you usually have a destination in mind and plan the most fuel efficient trip to visit everywhere ahead of time. That prevents small and starter businesses from being discovered naturally. It is inneffecient to just drive around for the sake of driving and even if you do you need to pay more attention to the road than the buildings on the side of the road, so It's not a good way to discover new places at all.


• Finally, walkable cities foster community involvement and engangement. Which brings people together and makes our cities safer and nicer to live in. Our current cities encourage us to isolate and distrust everyone around us, which is actually more dangerous than being close to your neigbhours. Walkable cities would also make services like Amber alert more useful, since there would be more people on the street that can look out for the suspects.