'Walkability' is key to modern cities

More than half the world’s population lives in cities and, within a generation, this will be true even for India. How we design and run our cities is important for virtually every aspect of human activity in the 21st century. Not surprisingly, therefore, we expect our cities to do many things at the same time. We expect them to be energy-efficient and environment-friendly. We want them to be socially inclusive. We also need them to be vibrant engines of economic growth. Are these contradictory goals or is there a way to maximise them simultaneously?

The good news is that there is a design paradigm that is simple, low-cost and combines all these goals. The bad news is that Indian urban planning almost entirely ignores it. The design paradigm is “walkability” and, as we shall see, it is far more important than flyovers, metro-trains and other expensive solutions to urban problems.

Walkability is about urban design that allows people to use walking (perhaps combined with cycling) as an important, if not dominant, means of getting around. Thus, people should be able to walk to work as well as walk to urban amenities like schools, parks, restaurants and shops. Obviously, walking cannot be the only means of urban mobility, especially in a large city. However, urban design can be oriented to walking as a way of life, including linkages to other forms of transport, such as buses, trains and so on.

Why walkability?
Some of the most successful cities in the world invest a large amount of effort in ensuring walkability — New York, Boston, Singapore, Amsterdam, Paris and so on. Seoul has torn down a motorway in the middle of the city and turned it into a pedestrian-friendly path along a revived stream. New York has converted old, elevated rail tracks in Lower Manhattan into a walking path. Singapore has created a network of underground passages in its business and shopping districts connected to its Mass Rapid Transit system. Even hilly Hong Kong uses a combination of elevated walkways and escalators to connect its business district. All of these interventions have proved very popular. Why do these rich and advanced cities invest heavily in such a basic form of mobility?

First, walking and cycling are the most environment-friendly means of getting around. Moreover, they are essential for the functioning of all other forms of public transport because the first and last mile of all public transport systems must usually be walked. This is commonly ignored by Indian urban planners. New metro stations and bus stops are created but without any way for the commuter to then walk to her final destination.

Second, walking is the most socially inclusive means of transport. Both rich and poor can walk, and they must use the same public space. This creates social interaction and an egalitarian culture. When applied to a smaller scale — say, to a small town or a neighbourhood — walking creates a sense of community and greater engagement with civic issues. It is not as easy to walk past an overflowing drain or a reeking garbage dump as it is to drive past them.

Third, walking has large economic benefits that are usually ignored. It is now widely recognised that much of the economic dynamism of urban agglomerations come from their ability to generate random and frequent interactions between people. This is what creates business networks, encourages the exchange of ideas and triggers creativity (what is often called “urban buzz”). Research has shown that this is still best done face-to-face and cannot be efficiently done over the phone or the Internet. Walkability is critical to this process. The street-cafes of Paris, the walk along Charles River in Boston and the University Parks in Oxford have generated far more ideas than the best of laboratories. This is why the finance industry, the most networked of sectors, still thinks it worthwhile to be concentrated in a tiny area around Wall Street and the City of London.

I have just discussed a few of the benefits of walkability. There are many more, including improvements in general health. I am not persuaded by the argument that India’s heat makes walking infeasible. Singapore is hot and humid throughout the year and it rains there almost every day. Yet, the city is a wonderful place to walk because of thoughtful design.

How to design for it?
Let me clarify that “walkability” is not just about building more pedestrian footpaths. It requires a combination of over/underpasses, pavements, safe crossings, public spaces like parks and so on. It also needs supporting infrastructure like public toilets, signs, security systems and access for the physically challenged. However, walkability requires a number of fundamental changes in urban form in order to work. Let me list out a few:

• Density: Walking cannot work in a spread-out suburbia even if there are lots of pedestrian paths. Thus, walkability presupposes a dense urban form. This has the additional benefit that it reduces the use of land and, consequently, further lowers the environmental footprint.
• Mixed use: Walkability needs a mix-and-match urban form where there is an ecosystem of urban activity and amenities. We need to abandon industrial era zoning still loved by Indian master-planners. In fact, next generation urban design should even design for the phenomenon such as street vendors (properly regulated) in order to make the walking experience more interesting.
• Public transport and taxis: Walking has one big disadvantage that it is limited by the human body. This is why it is very important that walking and cycling are consciously integrated into the public transport network. Note that a well-functioning taxi system is critical. People will take to walking only if they know that there is a reliable alternative whenever the situation demands it.

Sadly, very little attention is paid to walkability as a design paradigm in India and other developing countries. Instead, new cities are being built on out-dated visions of American suburbia. Large sums are still being spent to “widen roads” — a euphemism for narrowing the pedestrian sidewalk. Massive flyovers and highways are being built without any thought to how pedestrians can cross them. The time has come to stand up for the hapless Mr Walker.