15-Minute Neighborhoods: Improving Environmental Health by Increasing Walkability
More people are living in cities today than ever before and that number is ever increasing. Transit infrastructure in cities for the last century has focused on moving as many vehicles as possible, not pedestrians. When urban planning focuses on cars instead of people this leaves cities with more air & noise pollution, social isolation, unsafe pedestrian routes, less physically active population, and transportation inequities. Additionally, the cumulative global impact of vehicle greenhouse gas emissions contributes to climate change. The aim of my internship with Seattle Neighborhood Greenways was to find out how a 15-Minute Neighborhood plan could be integrated into Seattle urban design. 15-Minute Neighborhoods bring amenities to people rather than focusing on transit by increasing urban greenspace and parks, and using mixed-use development to integrate residential, commercial, and recreational spaces. They also fully connect a safe, accessible pedestrian network. My internship approach was to collect walkability data stemming from three questions: what do people need to walk to, does a choice of multiple amenities matter and how far are people willing to walk to get to them? I performed online research of academic papers, transit studies, municipal plans, census data and conducted local expert interviews. The top factors that make a city more walkable are mixed-use development, more grocery and convenience stores, urban park space, safe road crossings, path connectivity, social gathering spaces, and appealing aesthetics. A more walkable city has more social connection, better environmental health, money savings for residents and more economic vitality.
