LA-10: Walkability and Connectivity: Planning for Enhancing Walkability and Connectivity

Jayoung Koo | Dec. 13, 2017 (New)

Built environment patterns are essential for supporting the pedestrian experience in communities for health, wellness and safety. Since the mid-20th century, the intertwined relationship between sprawling development patterns and auto dependence has left many communities with built environments that discourage people from walking in the community. With shifting focus on people rather than cars, attention and interest in planning and design has brought about the need to bring back walkable communities for various goals and objectives including pursuing healthy lifestyles, engaging in more physical activities and investing in attractive pedestrian focused environments. Many communities have turned their efforts toward reintroducing and strengthening their pedestrian paths/networks and increasing connectivity in the community. Supportive built environment patterns can have other impacts on people's everyday lives and lifestyles such as providing for a safe and attractive environment for outdoor activities. Furthermore, sound and well-connected walkable environments can also directly influence a community's economic health, place identity, and sense of community.

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LA-9: Walkability and Connectivity: Enhancing the Pedestrian Travel Environment for Healthier Communities

Jayoung Koo | Nov. 20, 2017 (New)

Our built environment patterns can be more supportive of pedestrian experiences rather than that of vehicle travel. Since the mid-20th century, housing developments have sprawled beyond city limits with convenient and connected infrastructure such as road networks. However, such built environment patterns have influenced personal lifestyles. Partly, this results from the lack of appropriate environmental settings for safe and engaging outdoor activities within close distances to and connections to where we live and work. Attention and interest in planning and design of our built environment has brought about the need to return to walkable communities for a variety of goals and objectives, including investing in attractive pedestrian focused environments, engaging in more physical activities and pursuing healthy lifestyles. In addition to the physical health of communities, walkability characteristics of communities also have indirect influences on a community's economic performance, sense of community and place identity.