Via Scoop.it – Geography Education

A few years ago, at a highway safety conference in Savannah, Ga., I drifted into a conference room where a sign told me a “Pedestrian Safety” panel was being held.

 

This 4-part series on walking is more than a nostalgic look at an era when more people walked in our cities than used automobiles.  While all countries have seen a decline in pedestrianism with the advent of the automobile, this decline is the most pronounced in the USA.  It answers the underlying question “why don’t Americans walk more?”  In part there are cultural factors, but also the urban infrastructure plays a role in declining pedestrianism.  Many urbanists want to design more ‘walkable’ cities, but places like Jacksonville, FL, Charlotte, NC, Forth Worth, TX and Nashville, TN ranks as the least walkable cities in the country (NYC, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia are ranked as the best). 

Via www.slate.com