Back to Basics – Sidewalks

Not every neighborhood needs to be dense but everyone deserves safe sidewalks.

This year I have traveled to 13 states. Great American cities like New York, Austin, Charleston, Philly, San Diego, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, and Las Vegas. Contemporary American urbanism means a different thing in all these places—and it’s adapting in real time.

I make it a point, when I travel, to talk to as many folks as I can. This ends up mostly being Uber drivers and bartenders. Americans are friendly through and through. All are often critical of their hometowns (New Yorkers are the worse offenders) but they’re equally proud.

When I shared that I was visiting from NYC, most people were shocked. Almost as if NYC were a foreign country, not just a coastal city. Most couldn’t even fathom living in the big, loud, dirty city and implored me to tell them why, how, and what it’s like. They can’t imagine living with so many neighbors, relying on public transportation, or walking a minimum of 10,000 steps without even considering it exercise.

In the framework of the American urbanism discussion, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. I’ve found that most urbanist arguments are received with a binary response. Like most things in our public discourse—wholeheartedly for or adamantly against. Calls to create better and safer walking neighborhoods can feel coded, intentionally or not, as efforts to urbanize suburban or rural communities. But not everyone wants to live like that, and every place doesn’t need to feel like that. What should be universal is basic walking infrastructure that works for the character and needs of the place.

For most folks, there’s no context for the benefits of walkable neighborhoods, dense apartment complexes, or public transportation.

I grew up in suburban New Jersey and drove nearly everywhere. I was lucky enough to live near a college town with a vibrant historic downtown. Friday nights in middle school were spent walking the town square having some chicken wings and ice cream or catching a movie. This is something I took for granted, and it made the transition to living in New York City understandable. I had the context.

All of this is to say: I empathize with folks who don’t want to live in a dense urban area, who think public transportation is a waste of resources, and never want to leave the confines of their AC’d SUV. I think the majority of American urbanism is focused on converting these kinds of folks -those who live in suburbs because they don’t want to live in a duplex, along a train route, or give up their car.

A walkable community for these parts of the country doesn’t have to mean giving up suburban comforts. Walkable communities could mean a revitalized downtown or reimagined strip mall where you can take a pleasant stroll between errands rather than the parking lot hop. (Next time you go to a strip mall, look around—see if there’s even a way to walk from one store to the next without getting in your car.) It certainly means safe and pleasant sidewalks in front of your home whether in a cul-de-sac or more urban street.

As urbanism gains more attention in public discourse, sidewalks are a great place to begin. They’re universal, utilitarian, and unlike so many other projects, not a zero-sum game. Most of all, sidewalks are remarkably affordable infrastructure with nearly immediate ROI. Strong, safe, and connected sidewalks serve as social infrastructure just as much as physical.

However, I think there’s something that should be universal across geographies, density, and mobility preferences: neighborhoods should be walkable. Comfortable sidewalks to stroll, free of trash and (too many) massive cracks, and most importantly, safe crosswalks.

A neighborhood can be full of amenities but still uninviting to walk through if the sidewalks are cracked, the traffic speeds are unsafe, or there’s no shade in the summer. Likewise, a rural road may lack destinations but still be a cherished walking route because it’s calm, scenic, and safe. Safe sidewalks is not a luxury; it should be a standard.

There’s a meaningful distinction between neighborhoods where everything is within walking distance and neighborhoods where it’s simply safe and comfortable to walk. Not everyone wants to live in a dense, walkable neighborhood. However, I am confident that people want to live in a walk-friendly one, country road or cul-de-sac.