Walkability

john | Aug. 19, 2023, 9:26 p.m. Engineering

If there is something that people don't understand the value of something until they are immersed in it.  It's walkability.  Bikeability.  I would say driveability, but that's what got the world into this conundrum.

Most of America, for better or worse, is designed to be driveable.  It was not always this way of course, at times it was very walkable.  This is of course before the Defense Highways Act.  That act single-handedly wrecked downtown's.  Literally bulldozed.

Driving is a pleasurable experience.  Especially if there is no traffic.  When very few people had cars, it must of been a joy.  Then like most things, they overtook everything.

So much so, that people are lauding self driving cars as the future.  They found a solution to a problem.  Just make it more efficient.  That's not always right though.  In this case, I would even venture to say its wrong.

There would probably be a significant increase in human health if there was a larger push instead of self driving cars for a urban redesign.  Make cities bike first, then pedestrians, and then push cars to single lanes, or not allowed at all.

There is of course some research in this field coming out of the University of Colorado by a tenured professor Marshall. Which might explain why Colorado has had some decent improvements in transit over the years.

Regardless, when you have a place that is walkable it makes going outside a joy.  That doesn't mean just urban though, a walk through a park is just as walkable.  Or even a trail.  Damn, I miss mountain biking.