Towards a Healthy City by Foot

Energy and sustainability, Essay, Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners, Middle Density, Urban Paradigms

Air quality, City challenge, City development, City life, City Planning, Climate concern, Comfort, Design strategies, Efficiency, Environment, Essay, Future cities, Global Awareness, Green’s potential, Health contributor, Healthy city, Infrastructure, Mobility, Neighborhood, Pedestrian realm, Psychological Well-being, Rotterdam, Social city, Social cohesion, Social infrastructure, Sustainable infrastructure, The Netherlands, Transformation, Urban landscape, User’s experience, Walking, Well-being

Walking has great potential. It may not be the fastest or, according to some, the most comfortable way to get around, but it is the only type of movement which doesn’t require a vehicle. By walking more, we limit the influence of our movements on the environment. As a result, creating room for walking frees up space in the city, which can be used to tackle diverse social and environmental challenges. Oddly enough, the pedestrian is often forgotten in the design of our public spaces. This research by design is developed in close collaboration with urban psychologist Sander van der Ham (STIPO). It provides insight into the potential benefits of walking and identifies the necessary design tasks in our built environment to realize those benefits.