What walking-friendly neighbourhoods look like

Walking-friendly neighbourhoods come in all varieties, but they tend to have some things in common. It’s hard to know whether the things they have in common have led to a high rate of walking, or whether they’re the result – but they’re worth thinking about.

As you read through this section, though, please remember that transformation doesn’t happen overnight. There will be things you can do right away to make your neighbourhood safer, easier or nicer to walk around, but other things will take much longer, and will require outside help.

We’ve divided the features of walking-friendly neighbourhoods into three action categories:

• things that are quick, easy, and free (or very cheap) to fix;
• things that will cost some money and take some organising, but can probably be fixed using the skills that already exist in your neighbourhood; and
• things you’ll definitely need to work with a larger body (like a local or state government) to fix, and which will take some time to organise,