Aesthetics

• What is your gut feeling about walking around this area?  
• Is it nice and friendly to walk around here? 

Generally, a good walking route will have had its “problems” fixed (leaking verandahs, puddles of water, signs of vandalism, etc). It will have some landscaping, good quality facilities (seats, signage), good traffic management and – importantly – lots of people out walking.

• Landscaping can be a major element in improving a street or intersection, and can be a key part of the design for new crossings and roundabouts.  Good landscaping is relatively inexpensive and can change the tone of an area from one geared towards cars, to one geared towards people.

• Do the shops look clean, interesting and inviting?  
• Shabby, grubby or inaccessible shops are unattractive for customers, and bad for business. Increasing walking can bring more business to shops, so shop owners may be interested in your ideas about improving the look of the shopping area, for everyone’s benefit.

• Simple things like litter and dumped rubbish make places look ugly and feel unsafe.  Clearing litter and rubbish could be something your group could do, or you might work with council see if maintenance in the area can be improved.

• Are there buildings, gardens, public art or other features to look at along the way?  These features can make walking much more enjoyable.  The more enjoyable it is, the more people will do it!