Walking: Mon - Sun 24/7: free @aurbanist

In place of a #parking sign, someone placed a #walking sign. Cool! #Roncesvalles #Toronto #pedestrian pic.twitter.com/JoRb2WNqgZ

— AntonioGomez-Palacio (@aurbanist) October 11, 2014

Charles Marohn in The American Conservative — Cities for People—or Cars?

One hot summer day I walked through an old, neglected neighborhood, the kind of place where feral cats stalk mice in the weeds near cracked foundations. I carried a tape measure and clipboard, for measuring the width of the sidewalks, the spacing between trees, the length from the back of the curb to the front of the houses. I was channeling my inner New Urbanist, my desire to practice a primitive form of urban archaeology. I was attempting to discover deeper truths about what makes a city successful. Read more: Cities for People—or Cars? | The American Conservative

Some great walks in New York City

New York City is a walker's paradise. Follow us on some great walks around the city, and then tell us about your favorites.

Posted by The New York Times on Thursday, April 23, 2015

If you go walking in New York City...

If you go walking in New York City early enough in the morning, who knows, you might witness a scene like this one, which became the cover of The Times Magazine's Walking New York issue.

Posted by The New York Times on Thursday, April 23, 2015

From The Atlantic — Nice Downtowns: How Did They Get That Way? "It wasn't easy"

JAMES FALLOWS I had anticipated some of the rewards and discoveries of visiting cities in the process of economic and cultural recovery and re-invention. An unexpected reward has been the chance to get a time-capsule view, a kind of real-life time-line diorama, of how the downtown areas of cities look through all the stages of a decline-and-rise cycle. The declining phase includes hollowing-out and pawn-shop-dominated decay. Then there is spotty and tentative improvement. Finally, if all goes well, full-scale health through a combination of stores, restaurants, theaters, downtown condos, and all the other elements of a region that attracts commercial and human activity through most hours of the night and day. Read more: Nice Downtowns: How Did They Get That Way? — The Atlantic

From CityMetric — Stand up for pedestrians – the forgotten travellers

Image: Matt Cornock via Flickr.

Almost all of us walk somewhere every day of our lives. According to the UK’s most recent National Travel Survey 22 per cent of all trips are undertaken on foot – and walking continues to be the second-most important form of transport for all journeys after travel by car or van. When it comes to short trips of less than a mile, walking is totally dominant, accounting for over 78 per cent . One third of all trips less than five miles in length are also on foot. Read more: Stand up for pedestrians – the forgotten travellers | CityMetric

La Habana Vieja #streetoftheday

@jen_keesmaat @NathanNWE La Habana Vieja — pic.twitter.com/IuftjWKKiX
— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) April 18, 2015

#Walkability — planning from the sky vs. designing on the ground

A great case for #Walkability in this video by @gracenjohnson http://t.co/YdcnHDvOU5 #pedshed

— NewUrbanismFilmFest (@NwUrbanFilmFest) April 16, 2015

Map: Transit referendum voter turnout by municipality @cbcnewsbc

Transit referendum voter turnout by municipality - British Columbia - CBC News http://t.co/pFHAzPKgmm

— TheSidewalkBallet (@1sidewalkballet) April 8, 2015

From TheCityFix — The eight principles of the sidewalk

Well-designed sidewalks have three zones. Photo Luísa Schardong/EMBARQ Brasil

Walking is the most democratic way to get around. It is the oldest mode of transport, the most common in the world, it’s free, and it may even help you burn a few calories.

Nevertheless, people are walking less and less. As cities have become more sprawled, highways have replaced sidewalks, creating significant obstacles to walking safely. Sidewalks with broken concrete, narrow widths, and illegally parked vehicles on them are further evidence that walking has is slowly being suffocated by other modes of transport that are less healthy for both people and cities.

We need a shift back to pedestrian-friendly streets. Enhancing the quality of city sidewalks not only attracts more pedestrians, but also helps to create enjoyable public spaces where people want to spend their time. Read more at: The eight principles of the sidewalk: building more active cities | TheCityFix

Mobility by Roger Hart - NFB

Mobility @thenfb short film by Roger Hart 1986

Posted by The Sidewalk Ballet on Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Mobility by Roger Hart - NFB

From TheCityFix — Why planning for expansion helps build sustainable, equitable cities

São Paulo has historically struggled to expand fast enough to match rapid population growth, resulting in many informal favelas housing residents in the city’s periphery. Photo by Gabriel Cabral/Flickr.

 Consensus is building around the many benefits of compact cities. Overall, compact cities use fewer resources, produce fewer carbon emissions, and provide better quality of life for their inhabitants than their sprawled counterparts. In rapidly urbanizing countries in the global south, however, many medium-sized cities are expected to double their populations in the coming decades. This increase will strain efforts to achieve compact urban development. While some of these cities have densities three times higher than those of cities in industrialized economies, some degree of urban land expansion is inevitable. If current trends continue, the amount of developed land in these cities could triple between 2000 and 2030. Read more: Why planning for expansion helps build sustainable, equitable cities | TheCityFix

@LitmanVTPI study: more land is devoted to roads and parking spaces per automobile than is devoted to each person's house.

"Menos Cajones Más Ciudad" ("Less Parking More City") is a terrific new short video by the wonderful folks at ITDP...
Posted by Todd Litman on Friday, April 3, 2015

From @discourse_media — The full cost of your commute

The full cost of your commute: http://t.co/NHxO5Ty96c pic.twitter.com/s5eHG4gzJ0

— Fabienne (@fabienneChan) April 3, 2015

Pedestrians and cyclists battle for the road in Toulouse

#Pedestrians and #cyclists battle for the road in #Toulouse, #France @KatelynHewett http://t.co/o071H402az

— Renée van Staveren (@GlobalSitePlans) April 3, 2015