OPINION: The Case for Walkability
By Elian Sanchez
April 2022
I have lived in Madison for the majority of my life and consider the state of Wisconsin to be my home. In the year since obtaining my license, I’ve driven around most of the Dane County area. I’ve grown dismayed with the unending construction of car-dependent single-family residential homes: suburbia. I like to call them “copy-paste houses.” It leads to an overwhelming feeling of sameness around many areas of Madison and Dane County, despite the uniqueness of this place. Madison and the state of Wisconsin should lead the nation in mixed-use walkable neighborhoods.
I have many great memories of the beautiful city of Madison. Similar to other citizens of this city, a lot of those memories are centered around State Street, Willy Street, Monroe Street, and Hilldale. It’s no surprise that many residents go to these places for dates, hangouts, or just to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. They’re walkable and mixed-use for both businesses and residential living.
I don’t really plan to go out with friends to the nearest big box store; we usually plan to go to walkable areas with many stores. It’s no surprise that older, traditional developments outperform their newer, car-dependent counterparts in revenue and taxes, despite costing cities the same in upkeep. They’re friendly to pedestrians and encourage passersby to enter businesses. This really can’t be done in car-dependent suburbia where people tend to drive to their nearest big box retailer for most of their needs.
In a recent conversation with my partner, I discovered that she enjoys walking everywhere. She walks to school, to the grocery store, and to the library. I was in disbelief as I’m used to living in suburban sprawl. I shouldn’t have been so surprised as she lives near Monroe Street, one of the best areas for walkability. Not only would businesses benefit from the increase in passersby in a walkable neighborhood, but it would also lead to healthier citizens. The walkability of a neighborhood has a large impact on the obesity rate of its residents. Walkability encourages citizens to walk rather than drive to meet their needs.
Although some citizens may be concerned about their property values when regarding new developments, increasing walkability in neighborhoods would likely increase their property values. There is a great demand for walkable neighborhoods as most people prefer walkability. Citizens concerned about the value of their property need not worry; they will benefit greatly from many aspects of walkability.
With recent high gas prices, the threat of climate change, and the increasing demand for housing, Dane County should look back to more traditional developments. Developments that are walkable and friendly to pedestrians with mixed usage for businesses. Not only would these new developments increase tax revenue, but they would incentivize a healthier citizenry by decreasing car dependency. This shift would have the added benefit of decreasing traffic congestion as fewer people will find it necessary to have to drive everywhere. Many other places are taking this initiative. Paris is creating pedestrian and bike-only zones with increased dedicated bike infrastructure in order to reduce car use. Barcelona is using “superblocks” in which no cars are allowed in the middle of a block, making those neighborhoods easily walkable. Amsterdam is, to put it candidly, doing amazing and is a potential model for Madison. These places are where many Americans go on vacation to escape the dread of the suburban hellscape we call home. Why not be a leader? More sprawl isn’t helping assess future problems; it’s making things worse.
Sources:
"The Cost of Orientation" from strongtowns.org
“How Does Neighborhood Walkability Affect Obesity?: The Mediating Role of Commute Mode”; and “Residential Land Values and Walkability,” from Journal of Transport and Land Use.
“The Unmet Demand for Walkability: Disparities between Preferences and Actual Choices for Residential Environments in Toronto and Vancouver,” from Canadian Journal of Public Health.
April 2022
I have lived in Madison for the majority of my life and consider the state of Wisconsin to be my home. In the year since obtaining my license, I’ve driven around most of the Dane County area. I’ve grown dismayed with the unending construction of car-dependent single-family residential homes: suburbia. I like to call them “copy-paste houses.” It leads to an overwhelming feeling of sameness around many areas of Madison and Dane County, despite the uniqueness of this place. Madison and the state of Wisconsin should lead the nation in mixed-use walkable neighborhoods.
I have many great memories of the beautiful city of Madison. Similar to other citizens of this city, a lot of those memories are centered around State Street, Willy Street, Monroe Street, and Hilldale. It’s no surprise that many residents go to these places for dates, hangouts, or just to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. They’re walkable and mixed-use for both businesses and residential living.
I don’t really plan to go out with friends to the nearest big box store; we usually plan to go to walkable areas with many stores. It’s no surprise that older, traditional developments outperform their newer, car-dependent counterparts in revenue and taxes, despite costing cities the same in upkeep. They’re friendly to pedestrians and encourage passersby to enter businesses. This really can’t be done in car-dependent suburbia where people tend to drive to their nearest big box retailer for most of their needs.
In a recent conversation with my partner, I discovered that she enjoys walking everywhere. She walks to school, to the grocery store, and to the library. I was in disbelief as I’m used to living in suburban sprawl. I shouldn’t have been so surprised as she lives near Monroe Street, one of the best areas for walkability. Not only would businesses benefit from the increase in passersby in a walkable neighborhood, but it would also lead to healthier citizens. The walkability of a neighborhood has a large impact on the obesity rate of its residents. Walkability encourages citizens to walk rather than drive to meet their needs.
Although some citizens may be concerned about their property values when regarding new developments, increasing walkability in neighborhoods would likely increase their property values. There is a great demand for walkable neighborhoods as most people prefer walkability. Citizens concerned about the value of their property need not worry; they will benefit greatly from many aspects of walkability.
With recent high gas prices, the threat of climate change, and the increasing demand for housing, Dane County should look back to more traditional developments. Developments that are walkable and friendly to pedestrians with mixed usage for businesses. Not only would these new developments increase tax revenue, but they would incentivize a healthier citizenry by decreasing car dependency. This shift would have the added benefit of decreasing traffic congestion as fewer people will find it necessary to have to drive everywhere. Many other places are taking this initiative. Paris is creating pedestrian and bike-only zones with increased dedicated bike infrastructure in order to reduce car use. Barcelona is using “superblocks” in which no cars are allowed in the middle of a block, making those neighborhoods easily walkable. Amsterdam is, to put it candidly, doing amazing and is a potential model for Madison. These places are where many Americans go on vacation to escape the dread of the suburban hellscape we call home. Why not be a leader? More sprawl isn’t helping assess future problems; it’s making things worse.
Sources:
"The Cost of Orientation" from strongtowns.org
“How Does Neighborhood Walkability Affect Obesity?: The Mediating Role of Commute Mode”; and “Residential Land Values and Walkability,” from Journal of Transport and Land Use.
“The Unmet Demand for Walkability: Disparities between Preferences and Actual Choices for Residential Environments in Toronto and Vancouver,” from Canadian Journal of Public Health.