Los Angeles, USA Correspondent Beverly Baker

Introducing our Los Angeles, California-based Correspondent Beverly Baker!

Here at Pedestrian Space we recently launched a Global Walkability Correspondents Network, as a way to build solidarity among walkability advocates around the world and continue to create media on sustainable mobility and urbanism.

We are so happy and fortunate to have Beverly on board as our Los Angeles, California Correspondent. Read on for some of her thoughts as we launch this network.

I’ve been lucky to walk in some of the greatest cities in the world – from Moscow to Madrid, from Gaborone to Helsinki. And yet I somehow managed to settle in Los Angeles, a city notorious for car dependence where, the 80’s song, 🎶Nobody Walks in L.A.🎶 still has deep resonance. But there are truly walkable areas in Los Angeles and there are shifts happening where walkable neighborhoods are more and more in demand.

Beverly Baker

WHO

I’ve been captivated by exploring cities for as long as I can remember. It started in my picturesque hometown of West Chester, Pennsylvania, but by the time I was 14 I was hopping on the bus and train to head into Philadelphia for the big city experience! My wanderlust as a young girl meant my parents worried a lot and it led to conflict between us.

I was an otherwise “good kid” who wasn’t interested in drugs or alcohol, I just wanted the freedom of a long walk in the city. I have two older brothers who I observed had more freedom of movement simply because they were boys. I was jealous of their after-school paper routes as they got to be out and about and make money. I begged my parents to allow me to get a paper route, but instead, they insisted that if I wanted an after-school job it would have to be safer. I wound up running a vacuum and restocking shelves at a women’s boutique… ((( sigh ))) being stuck inside was not at all what I wanted!

In high school, I studied Spanish and Russian and picked up some Korean when I began martial arts training. I had dreams of traveling and exploring cities all over the world! Through my martial arts training, I began to learn and later teach self-defense. But what I was learning and teaching didn’t quite line up with what I learned on the street when I was occasionally targeted by a creeper or a con. Nevertheless, I stayed the course with what I now call mainstream self-defense, where the focus is on learning how to kick, punch and escape grabs. Instead, I learned at an early age in my wanderings how to spot and evade threats long before it could ever go hands-on.

Upon moving to Los Angeles in 2011 I landed in the dense, gritty, and electric heart of the Hollywood tourist district. Loathed by those who prefer the quieter suburbs, I love the walkability, diversity, and people watching! After decades of teaching other people’s versions of self-defense I realized I needed to develop my own approach to street safety. That is how Asphalt Anthropology was born. It is a one-of-a-kind approach to personal safety designed specifically for the complex and dynamic nature of large, dense cities with principles that can be applied in any environment.

By day I am a mild-mannered MBA with the role of Executive Director for an educational organization who loves product development, revenue generation and mentoring younger employees. But even after all these years, I am still happiest going for a long walk in the city.

I would love to help urban planners think about how to build safety directly into new plans from the ground up.

Beverly Baker

WHERE

I’ve lived in the heart of Los Angeles’ Hollywood tourist district for over 10 years. Most people think of glamour when they think of Hollywood, but in reality, it is a wild mix of wealth, glitter, tourists, locals, street hustlers, poverty and homelessness. It is my laboratory to observe, test and refine self-defense and situational awareness principles.

In this intense neighborhood, I’ve found that many common self-defense cliches, like “keep your head on a swivel” fail under pressure. Keeping your head on a swivel is a half-truth that comes to the field of self-defense by way of military veterans for whom this may be great advice when out on a short duration military mission. But for city dwellers, who must navigate complex and dynamic environments every day, this is unsustainable. Asphalt Anthropology is a multi-disciplinary approach to self-defense that includes psychology, neurology, sociology and other data-driven studies as well as improv and adaptability skills.

I’ve been lucky to walk in some of the greatest cities in the world – from Moscow to Madrid, from Gaborone to Helsinki. And yet I somehow managed to settle in Los Angeles, a city notorious for car dependence where, the 80’s song, 🎶Nobody Walks in L.A.🎶 still has deep resonance. But there are truly walkable areas in Los Angeles and there are shifts happening where walkable neighborhoods are more and more in demand.

One of the greatest impediments to walkability, however, is real and perceived threats to one’s safety. Los Angeles has over sixty thousand people living in the streets and we are in the midst of a mental health crisis. Every day I pass at least four or five people having a mental breakdown in the middle of the sidewalk. Armed robberies have skyrocketed since 2021 with thieves shooting and killing more victims than ever. Fear is driving folks to swear off public transit, an essential element to a walkable city. Until people can FEEL and BE safe, they will stay in their cars and abandon walking.

Most people think of glamour when they think of Hollywood, but in reality, it is a wild mix of wealth, glitter, tourists, locals, street hustlers, poverty and homelessness. It is my laboratory to observe, test and refine self-defense and situational awareness principles.

Beverly baker

WHY WALKABILITY

Walking is freedom. Walking is fun. Walking is curiosity about our world. But for many, walking is scary. My goal for Asphalt Anthropology is to give people tools, skills and insights to help them reclaim public space.

I’m excited to share my expertise about personal safety in public spaces. Far too often in the design of cities, sidewalks and transit, safety is overlooked. This is especially true when it comes to the safety of those most vulnerable to threats of violence – women, the elderly, the less able-bodied, LGBTQIA and BIPOC. I would love to help urban planners think about how to build safety directly into new plans from the ground up. I would also love to share my expertise with individuals – through classes and social media posts – tips and tactics to make themselves safer as they move through their world!

Learn more about the Global Walkability Correspondents Network here