PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY & WALKABLE

NEIGHBOURHOODS
Apoorv Kumar Gupta
Smarika Sharma
Phone no.- 9098063754, 9479555604
College- Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal

Looking at our past, preferred mode of transportation with the community designs and mode of living was
walking. With the change in phase of time, infrastructural and transportation development along with
decentralization of the cities and the movement of families to urban areas forced the shift of growth
towards an environment with that reduced walkability. With the increase in urban issues and environment,
interest of people in walkability and walkable neighborhoods has increased. The infrastructure has to be
designed in such a way so as to promote walking. Its vibrant landscape and design amplifies the
experience of walking. Pedestrian friendly areas are also environment friendly. They not only decrease the
energy consumption but also helps in decreasing the traffic congestion to a huge extend. Adding trees,
seating, holding events to attract users, creating walk trails are some of the methods that can be adopted.
A few of the above said measures will help to develop a better neighborhood. While these neighborhoods
will provide hope, there will still be need of a broader cultural conversation about walkability.
Key words: Center, mixed income, mixed use, parks and public spaces, complete streets, parks and
public spaces.

INTRODUCTION
While driving a person sees while walking he perceives.
Walkers are 'practitioners of the city,' for the city is made to be walked. A city is a
language, a repository of possibilities, and walking is the act of speaking that language, of
selecting from those possibilities. Just as language limits what can be said, architecture
limits where one can walk, but the walker invents other ways to go.
Considering the increment in services and facilities at door-step, the spillover of people in this
globalizing urban setup has considerably decreased. The services which were miles away are
now just a call or a click away. People have started prioritizing functions, the final outcome or
the destination is what is sought for. As such, pedestrian culture is fading and soon, humans can
be compared to captives in free bubbles which stay close yet isolated.
The main function associated with pedestrians is walking, which generally acts as a function
connecting two prior functions. How through architecture can a person as a pedestrian be made
to take the experience of walking to a stage of leisure and a more conscious function so that its
not just a walk, its a pleasant journey ?
WALKABILITY
Walking is ones conscious effort to travel and perceive the space.
Walkability can be technically defined as: "The extent to which the built environment is friendly
to the presence of people living, shopping, visiting, enjoying or spending time in an
area". Factors affecting walkability include street connectivity, land use mix, residential density,
the presence of trees and vegetation; frequency and variety of buildings, entrances and other
sensations along street frontages, "transparency" which includes amount of glass in windows and
doors, as well as orientation and proximity of homes and buildings to watch over the street;
plenty of places to go to near the majority of homes; place making, street designs that work for
people, not just cars and retail floor area ratio. Major infrastructural factors include access
to mass transit, presence and quality of footpaths, buffers to moving traffic and pedestrian
crossings, aesthetics, nearby local destinations, air quality, shade or sun in appropriate
seasons, street furniture, traffic volume and speed and wind conditions.
PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD- AN INSIGHT
As per the observations and understanding of human psychology, spaces with a certain
configuration and composition harness and fetch pedestrian activities.

The destinations in the pedestrian friendly area are located within walking distance
from residences or vehicular collection points. Essentially, the Pedestrian must be
able to arrive in the area on foot.
The combination of routes and destinations throughout the area must be safe,
supportive and friendly to pedestrians. The pedestrian must feel comfortable walking
from one place to the next and then ultimately back to where they entered the area
preferably completing a loop.

The area should be attractive to pedestrians once they have arrived and are presented
with the functional requirements of safe and manageably walkable routes, the
finishing touches are needed to encourage the pedestrian to actually walk.
Reasons why walkability depends on block size are numerous. More intersections
means more places where vehicles must stop and pedestrians can cross. Also, short
blocks along with frequent cross streets create the budding for direct routing which is
important to pedestrians, much more than to speeding motorists. Finally, a intense
network of streets disperses traffic, so that each street carries lesser traffic and can be
scaled accordingly; this makes streets more pleasant to walk along and easier to cross.
There may be psychological factors at work as well. It has been suggested that more
intersections give pedestrians more sense of freedom and control as they need not
always take the same path to a given destination; that more intersections make a walk
seem more eventful, since it is punctuated by frequent crossing of streets; that more
intersections may shorten the sense of elapsed time on walk trips, since progress is
judged to some extent against the milestone of reaching the next intersection.

PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY DESIGN

Space specific function or function specific space? Since spaces that accommodate pedestrian
movements are multifunctional, they cannot simply be given a particular type of treatment but
the flexibility to accommodate various profiles of pedestrian movement. Further, people do not
need temple to pray, the same way they do not need material elements only but the immaterial
ambience to develop an allure for the place. The above requirements can be achieved through
good design that carefully considers basic architectural concepts like site planning, circulation,
massing, proportion, etc. The following text discusses this in great detail.
DESIGN PROPOSALS
The worlds perpetual magnetism with the automobile and the cornucopia of mother earth have
resulted in conventional growth patterns in which everything is spread out and is shaped by the
requirements of the automobile. This fascination also has created a cultural phenomenon in
which people tend not to walk as a means to move from place to place. The purpose of this
article is to demonstrate the fundamental elements that must exist to support a pedestrian friendly
environment as well as how to achieve this desired pedestrian friendly environment, especially in
areas which have historically been dense, compact and concentrated spaces.
Out of time space and people, we can alter the space and in many aspects. The composition of
the space and the dominance of its various characters can be altered to capture pedestrian
charisma at that place.
Site Planning
This is the organizational stage of the design process that involves an analysis of composition
and placement of a building within its surrounding environment.

1) Site Planning and Context: A building should participate with the language of its
environment. More importantly, successful pedestrian friendly buildings should maintain
strong contextual elements in order to contribute to the "sense of place" of a particular
city, region, or area. By continuing the quality and the character of its surroundings, the
building facilitates the continuity of the vernacular style.
2) Site Planning and Connectivity: Good vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian circulation
ensures connectivity to and from the building, while accommodating successful links of
the entire urban fabric. Sidewalks, walkways, intersections, crosswalks, signage,
landscaping, and lighting should be considered from a master site planning scale in order
to fully understand the building's impact on the surrounding area. In all loops should be
completed. Discontinued sidewalks and bike paths are just as pedestrian un-friendly as
not having any of these amenities.
3) Site Planning and Parking: The placement of parking says a lot about a building's
pedestrian friendly nature, as evident in the two sketches. A building engaged with the
street edge and its environment is important for pedestrian accessibility, whereas a
building surrounded by a parking lot is isolated and unapproachable.
Circulation
The path of movement conceived as the perceptual thread that links the spaces of a building, or
any series of interior or exterior spaces together. A vehicle requires a path with smooth contours
that reflect its turning radius; however, the width of the path can be tailored tightly to its
dimensions. Pedestrians can tolerate abrupt changes in direction, but require a greater volume of
space relative to their bodily.
1) Circulation and Sidewalks: As the primary means of pedestrian circulation, sidewalks
are an important part of pedestrian friendly design. Sidewalks should be continuous from
block to block and neighborhood to neighborhood. They should provide a clear and direct
route and be wide enough to comfortably accommodate expected traffic levels and the
street furniture that enhance pedestrian oriented areas.
2) Circulation and Intersections: Pedestrian friendly intersections should have a turning
radius of 5 to 10 feet. A tighter radius makes turning vehicles more aware of pedestrians
than large sweeping turns where cars barely need to slow down. Narrow turns also reduce
the distance of street that the pedestrian must cross.
3) Circulation and Crosswalks: All crosswalks should be well marked and well lit.
Crosswalk markings vary and can include crosswalk signs, unique paving, raised
plateaus, sidewalks that flare into the parking lane, and Simple Street marking lines.
4) Circulation and Traffic Buffers: Pedestrian circulation paths should be buffered from
vehicular circulation by parking lanes, street trees, bollards, street furniture, and street
lights. Not all of these elements are required all of the time but the idea is that an actual,
firm barrier exist and not simply a narrow strip of grass.
Massing
The term defines three-dimensional volume of a building, with an understanding of its overall
impression of weight density, and bulk.
1) Massing and the Human Scale: Pedestrian oriented massing should reflect the human
scale within its overall composition. The interplay of solid and void can be used to help
break down the general volume of the building and relate it back to human proportion
and scale. Additionally, window size and placement can help facilitate the scalar
difference from the overall building massing and the pedestrian.

2) Massing and the Ground Level: Irregularities in the design of a facade are important to
break down massing, especially on the ground level where a pedestrian interacts with the
building. Composition pertaining to columns, doorways, arches, awnings, niches, corners,
covered walkways, and other details is as important as the overall building itself. These
items provide a varied visual stimulus and further break down the building's massing to
keep the pedestrian engaged within his I her surroundings.
3) Massing and Density: The semblance of density can also be achieved by a building's
massing, as evident in the above right diagram. A strong street edge is successful to a
pedestrian friendly environment, therefore massing that breaks down the composition
into a smaller, denser series of volumes should be considered.
Proportion
The proper or harmonious relation of one part to another or to the whole with respect to spatial
quality is defined by the proportion. Proportional theories have been prevalent throughout
architectural history, and remain a guiding force in design. Renaissance architect Alberti called
beauty, "the harmony of all parts in relation to one another" and thus analogous to proportion.
New developments should utilize short to medium length blocks. A higher proportion of
intersections along a roadway creates more opportunities for pedestrians to cross streets, slows
traffic, and provides more relief to the pedestrian than long uninterrupted blocks. Blocks 300 to
500 feet are good for pedestrians. Blocks over 600 feet should not be considered pedestrian
oriented.
1) Proportion and Street Oriented Buildings: The ratio of building height to street width is
important for creating visual enclosure for pedestrians. Visual enclosure occurs when
bordering buildings on a street occupy most of a pedestrian's cone of vision. Successful
visual enclosure creates an "outdoor room" that the pedestrian occupies.
2) Proportion and Facade Design: The proportion of various architectural elements also
has an effect on the pedestrian. The dimensions of windows, doorways, arches and
columns are most accommodating when they are not overwhelming in size. Formidable
elements are difficult for the pedestrian to interact with while human scaled elements are
comfortable and relatable.
3) Proportion and Signage: Signage should be designed with consideration of street width,
traffic speed and land use. For a pedestrian oriented area, signs should be mounted at a
comfortable height and be clear and legible from the close range at which a pedestrian
encounters the sign.
Materiality
The concept of, or applied use of, various materials or substances in the medium of building.
Proportion and modularity based on materiality. Uniformly distributed material building facades
are more attractive.
1) Materiality and the Pedestrian: Materiality gives a pedestrian tactile experience of the
building's facade and streetscape. Weight and scale are perceived differently due to light
and sound absorption, therefore, texture and color affect the overall perception of the
building's fa9ade. Materiality also adds depth to of how a building is perceived: from afar
through a visual understanding of form and color, and from closer inspection through
texture and grain.

2) Materiality and External Elements: Humans are corporal creatures, relying on all of
their senses to experience the world. Material differentiation can also be introduced
through signage, landscaping, lamp posts, fencing, pavers, benches, planters, sculpture,
cafe tables, chairs, art work, and other similar items. These external elements add to the
ground floor design of a building allowing the pedestrian to relate to the building through
its environment.
3) Materiality and Modularity: Modularity in window sizes, door sizes, brick and block
dimensions, and other sheathing materials should be in direct proportion to the human
scale. Likewise, material proportion should relate to the overall proportion of the
building, creating a harmony of parts to the whole.
Rhythm
Movement characterized by a patterned repetition or alternation of formal elements or motifs in
the same or a modified form.
1) Rhythm and Repetition: Most buildings incorporate elements that are repetitive by
nature. Beams and columns create modules of space that are perceived as rhythmic.
Likewise, repetitive elements on the exterior of a building, such as window and door
spacing, create rhythmic components that are easily read by a pedestrian. Rhythmic
pattern alludes to continuity and is vital for pedestrian life.
2) Vertical vs. Horizontal Rhythm: Most pedestrian friendly buildings incorporate vertical
elements or rhythms along the ground floor of the facade. Horizontal rhythms tend to
represent a long expanse, leaving the pedestrian feeling overwhelmed with large distance
to travel. A better perspective for eye-level is short and staccato vertical elements, such as
columns or window framing, that move the pedestrian from "column to column" and
keep them engaged with the building's rhythm.
3) Rhythm and Context: Rhythm should also extend to the overall building block or street
edge. Continuity of rhythm from one building facade to the next can be done using
similar proportionate and scalar elements, such as window and door placement and sizes,
or the continuation of an architectural detail, such as a cornice or roof edge.
Transparency
The degree of enclosure and openness from one space to the next, implying a visual connectivity
and/or an interchange of flow of space. No visual continuity into the building. Complete visual
transparency from inside to the street.
1) Transparency and the Ground Floor: The ground floor facade should be the single most
activated interface between city and building. Open and welcoming buildings bring with
them a sense of security and accessibility that are important qualities for successful
pedestrian life. Views into and out of a building visually connects the building with the
pedestrian and the surrounding environment.
2) Transparency and Exterior Enclosures: Large doors and windows maintain visual
connectivity, while openings within the building's overall mass, such as entry courts,
create pockets of exterior space that open the building up even further. This visual and
physical continuity extends the building's program to its environment and generates a
sense of an exterior enclosure or "outdoor room."

3) Transparency and Programming: Pedestrian friendly buildings use programmatic

elements to engage with the outdoors. Successful ground floor program includes, but is
not limited to, cafes, restaurants, shops, farmers markets, and other socially driven
program. Outdoor seating brings program out of the building leading to an even greater
sense of exterior enclosure, and blurs the boundary of where the street begins and the
building ends.
Detail
A small elaborated element of a work of art, craft, or design can further prove to be charismatic.
"Details are much more than subordinate elements; they can be regarded as the minimal units of
signification in the architectural production of meanings." Materials are seen primarily as a
color field. The facade is seen only in fragments. Individual elements are clearer and materials
are more clearly expressed. Only a small area of the faade is visible. The joints in materials
are visible and details are easily read. Only an individual element is visible. The smallest
details are clear and materials are now tactile as well as visual.
A pedestrian's view of a building is greatly reduced as they move closer to the building, but the
ability to perceive detail is increased.
1) Detail and Architecture: Buildings in pedestrian oriented areas are experienced more
intimately than buildings in higher speed car oriented areas. At close range and low
speed, the pedestrian has time to admire rich textures, fine materials and subtle variations
in design. This experience can also extend into the building through the transparency of
the entry and display windows along the elevation. Pedestrian friendly buildings should
provide these kinds of details for by passers.
2) Detail and Street Furniture: As an important part of walkable neighborhoods, the design
of street furniture should also enrich the pedestrian experience. Decorative lamp posts,
bollards, tree grates, benches, bike racks, and even parking meters add interest and
approachability in pedestrian zones. Many of these items are necessary for legal,
maintenance, or safety reasons so it requires only a little extra effort to detail them so that
they become an asset as well as a requirement.
3) Detail and Public Art: Public art can both enhance the pedestrian experience, and create
a uniqueness of place that adds distinction to an area. Unique works of art add to the
individuality of the neighborhood, square or town where they are located. Art can also
play an important role in reinforcing physical and visual connections between a place and
its surroundings.
One of the best ways to quickly determine the walkability of a block, corridor or neighborhood is
to count the number of people walking, lingering and engaging in optional activities within a
space. While this process is a vast improvement upon pedestrian level of service indicators
recommended within the Highway Capacity Manual, it may not translate well to non-Western
locations where the idea of "optional" activities may be different. In any case, the diversity of
people, and especially the presence of children, seniors and people with disabilities, denotes the
quality, completeness and health of a walkable space
increased walkability has proven to have many other individual and community health benefits,
such as opportunities for increased social interaction, an increase in the average number of
friends and associates where people live, reduced crime (with more people walking and watching
over neighborhoods, open space and main streets ) increased sense of pride, and increased

volunteerism. One of most important benefits of walkability is the decrease of the automobile
footprint in the community. Carbon emissions can be reduced if more people choose to walk
rather than drive.
COMMUNITY PLANNING
Many communities have embraced pedestrian mobility as an alternative to older building
practices that favor automobiles. Reasons for this shift include a belief that dependency on
automobiles is ecologically unsustainable; automobile-oriented environments engender
dangerous conditions to both motorists and pedestrians, and are generally bereft of
aesthetics. Auto-focused designs also diminish walking and needed "eyes on the street" provided
by the steady presence of people in an area. Reduced walking also reduces social interaction,
mixing of populations and pride in streets and other civic space.
There are several ways to make a community more walkable. Sidewalks should be implemented
where there are "sidewalk gaps", with priority to areas where walking should be encouraged,
such as around schools or transit stations. In Atlanta, safe routes to transit is a growing campaign
to provide safer access to transit stops for pedestrians. When implementing new sidewalks, there
are several aspects to consider. For example, the width of the sidewalk is important for
walkability. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that sidewalks be at least five
feet in width.
Obstructions like sign posts and utility poles can decrease the walkable width of the sidewalk, so
alternative locations for these obstructions, especially sign posts, should be used. Quality
maintenance and proper lighting of sidewalks should be sustained to reduce obstructions,
improve safety, and overall encourage walking. Another way to make sidewalks safer is to
implement buffers, which are areas of grass between the street and the sidewalk. An additional
benefit of buffers is that the vegetation absorbs the carbon dioxide from automobile
emissions and assists with water drainage.
Making crosswalks safer is also key to walkability. Curb extensions decrease the radii of the
corners of the curb at intersections. Curb extensions calm traffic and decrease the distance
pedestrians have to cross. On streets with parking, curb extensions allow pedestrians to see
oncoming traffic better where they otherwise would be forced to walk into the street to see past
parked cars. Striped crosswalks, or zebra crossings, also provide safer crossings because they
provide better visibility for both drivers and pedestrians.
A further justification for walkability as a consideration in urban design and planning is founded
upon evolutionary and philosophical grounds, contending that gait has been vital to the cerebral
development in humans. After millennia of human development firmly based upon gait, the
twentieth century automotive and automated metropolis has separated walking from thinking,
and in this sense it has become an agent of regression rather than human progress. Walkability,
therefore, is offered as a critical component in contemporary urban design considerations, with
implications far beyond the scope of current concerns.
NEED FOR PEDESTRIAN CULTURE

Pedestrian friendly areas are also environment friendly. They not only decrease the energy
consumption but also helps in decreasing the traffic congestion to a huge extend. A few
improvements when done will help to make the community pedestrian friendly and
neighborhoods walkable.
As the human population has increased, the consumption of natural resources has become a
serious problem for our society. With the possibilities of severe oil shortages, there is a growing
need to promote a society which better suits the requirements of pedestrians. At the same time,
there is a big push for urban redevelopments to rebuild a strong city center in the United States.
It is important that these new redevelopments take into account the changing needs of our society
by providing a good pedestrian environment. The main objective of this thesis is to illustrate the
fundamental elements that must exist to support a pedestrian friendly environment in urban
areas, to determine the potential and potential problems facing, and to offer suggestions on how
to further bolster these plans in its effort to establish a healthy pedestrian downtown.
Walkability has also been found to have many economic benefits, including accessibility, cost
savings both to individuals and to the public, increased efficiency of land use, increased
livability, economic benefits from improved public health, and economic development, among
others. The benefits of walkability are best guaranteed if the entire system of public corridors is
walkable - not limited to certain specialized routes. The World Cancer Research
Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research released a report that new developments
should be designed to encourage walking, on the grounds since walking contributes to a
reduction of cancer.
All components should work together to provide a diversity of downtown uses thereby
generating the critical mass necessary to support a healthy pedestrian environment, Provision of
Public Transit Systems, Establishment of Central Transportation Hub, and Enhancement of
Sufficient Parking Facilities, should work to ensure accessibility and to create an environment
that is compatible with pedestrians; and Size of the concerned Area, Size of the City Blocks, and
Other Elements Serving to Create a Sense of Human Scale, will condition peoples perception of
downtown thereby prompting people to walk. Hence, pedestrianism becomes a very important
aspect of our planning solutions.
CONCLUSION
With the increase in urban and environmental, interests of people in walkability and walkable
neighborhoods have increased. The infrastructure has to been designed in such a way so as to
promote walking. Its vibrant landscape and design amplifies the experience of walking.
Apart from the environmental issues, it also benefits the health of the users, increases
opportunity for social interactions and also decreases the economic load. Automobile footprint
i.e. carbon emission can be reduced to a considerable level if people choose to walk.
Pedestrianism is a concept important for urban development. They should ultimately
attempt to improve city centers making them strong economic, social, and cultural center

assuring health growth patterns and take into account the changing needs of our society by
providing a good pedestrian environment.

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REFERENCESPEDESTRIAN AND TRANSIT-FRIENDLY DESIGN: A Primer for Smart Growth

Based on a manual prepared for the Florida Department of Transportation and published
by the American Planning Association.
Wikipedia
Pedestrian scale design guidelines manual- pdf
A Pedestrian friendly neighborhood for downtown baton rogue
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/120665-walkers-are-practitioners-of-the-city-for-thecity-is