Second, the land outside the city is more affordable and offers a blank slate for development. A built environment meant for cars may prevent residents from aging in place (Community AGEnda, 2014). Unfortunately, most of our cities are designed for automobiles and actually discourage people from walking. First, the arrival of the automobile and the massive investments in the highway systems made it feasible to live many miles away from work. So, it is important to understand that there are several problems affecting walkability in cities. It is not that we don’t have the desire to walk, but it is more like we can’t. Pedestrians walking through the large median (Ramblas-Spain) Courtesy of Ting Why Cities are Less Walkable? However, there are certain cities that are choosing to be entirely free from cars. They keep jobs and attract young adults, families and children (Urban planners of countries like Denmark and the Netherlands paid more attention to design more bike-friendly passageways and bridges. Walkable cities are livable built environments which lead to whole happy and healthy lives for the people who live in them. They lead to addressing many social and economic problems through social interaction, physical fitness, diminishing crime and increasing wellness. Walkable cities return urban environments to scale, pattern and mix for sustainability of resources (both natural and economic). Thus, the construction of a walkable city provides the most affordable and equitable transportation system, where any community can plan, design, build and maintain. Walking remains the cheapest form of transport for all people. Walkability is the key to an urban area’s efficient ground transportation. ![]() Main pedestrian street (Stockholm-Sweden) Courtesy of Ting
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