Advocating for improved walkability in cities while also communicating a love and deep value for being able to move by foot for daily needs
In my talks with fellow researchers and advocates, people sometimes share with me how uncomfortable they are ‘telling people to walk and take public transportation’ when many communities do not have the options to do so (or do so at all) safely.
I completely agree.
Having grown up totally car-dependent and also having experienced living in communities that lacked pedestrian infrastructure and/or dependable public transportation during multiple chapters of my adult life, I don’t only mentally grasp this point of view but have the life experience to understand living in environments where walkability has not been prioritized and it feels scary, unsafe and inconvenient to move by foot.
That’s exactly why I have been committed to a holistic approach to advocating for pedestrian-prioritized communities at Pedestrian Space since its establishment.
But being aware of the problems we face in communities where a radical re-prioritization of walking, cycling and public transit needs to take place doesn’t need to cancel out simultaneously communicating a message of love for being able to move by foot.
Advocating for walkability where it needs to be improved is as much a part of the foundation of my approach as is sharing my deep appreciation for being able to move around communities I live in by foot.
Communicating how I experience and view mobility as a core value, which I wrote about for the current issue of ITS International Magazine, is a crucial part of the entire message at Pedestrian Space.
I look back on to so many moments of my life, before the word walkability had entered my vocabulary, and it all becomes so clear how deeply I valued all opportunities to move safely and with ease by foot in a community.
For my fellow lovers of walking, I hope 2024 brings you many opportunities to move by foot.
For anyone reading this whose curiosity is sparked, I welcome you to return to continue reading on issues of walkability as central in community health and development.
The Winter edition of the Seasonal Pedestrian Space newsletter will come out later this month and include some exciting calls for participation.
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-Annika, Founder at Pedestrian Space
