The Benefits of a Walkable City

In many western societies, we have shifted our cities away from being walkable and towards being more car-centric. The United States has become the poster child of this car-centric shift. Out of 141 cities in the United States tested, the average walkability score was a 48 of 100. But why should we worry about walkability.

One benefit of a walkable city is less carbon emissions. With less cars being used on the daily, less pollutants are emitted into the atmosphere. And with the almost 300 million cars in the United States, reducing the usage of cars even by a fraction can have a huge impact on the greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Shifting a couple of cities to become more walkable can in turn take these cars off the road, and can help this shift to a more environmentally friendly world.

A walkable city can have physical benefits as well. More walking in a city leads to more activity, which can deter chronic diseases. Studies have shown that people who live in walkable cities such as New York City are less likely to have diabetes, and undergo obesity at lower rates.

There are also mental benefits for a walkable city. A more active lifestyle has been proven to be associated with a happier lifestyle, with less depression and anxiety. Replacing hours of driving with active walking can create this shift to a more active lifestyle. Also, more walking means a higher rate of face-to-face interaction, which can improve the sense of community in an area and boost the overall mental health of a body of people.

With this in mind, civil engineers should take into account the ways in which their planning can affect the lives of many people. When planning a city, a civil engineer should look to implement walkability to its greatest extent, and should fully understand the benefits walkability has over a car-centric city.