Walkable Cities: Where a Car is a Choice

I was recently listening to a ted talk by Jeff Speck and he stated that there are only four necessities to make a city walkable. Comfort, reason, safety, and interest. And when I think back about my trip to Japan last summer, I realized that a lot of these concepts are present. In Japan, walking was my first choice, but in the suburbs of the United States it's not even an option. 

Comfort: 

Taken from my trip to Japan

• Everything is near anything, and that makes the walk from hotel, to mall, to restaurant, to convenience stores, so much more comfortable. It's the complete opposite of euclidean zoning that is so ingrained in American suburbs. Additionally the average block size in Japan is eleven times less than the average block size in the United States. This means there is less induced demand and therefore less congestion. With this comes narrower streets, which are empirically proven to decrease crash rate by four times. 

Reason:

Taken from my trip to Japan

• Japan consists of the traditional neighborhood, where the housing to job ratio is near even. This, along with narrower streets and wider sidewalks, is what gives people a reason to walk. Whereas in the United States, neighborhoods are geared towards suburban sprawl, and even downtown lacks the balanced ratio between jobs to housing, prompting more people to choose the drive over the walk, thus spiking induced demand. 

Safety: 

Taken from my trip to Japan

• As said before, the streets in Japan are inherently narrower and that prevents crashes by quadruple the rate, leading to safer walks. Additionally, many roads are designed with intention, this includes planting more trees or building straighter roads, which are both proven factors in slowing cars down. 

Interest: 

Taken from my trip to Japan

• Lastly is interest, in addition to the buildings and temples along the road, there's also a multitude of plants. Cherry blossoms, maples, oaks, etc. nature is what makes a walk enjoyable, and the roads in Japan demonstrate that beautifully. The streets in Japan are built with urban intention, they are inviting, beautiful, comfortable, and safe, and that makes the walk worth it.