Pedestrian planning principles

Humans are diverse. Designing streets and places for pedestrians means designing for all of human capabilities and states. Considerations include the space needed for different devices and for people moving at different speeds.

By following these principles, planners and designers can create accessible, inclusive streets and places.

Effective planning for walking requires an understanding of pedestrian movement and activity. Measuring pedestrian activity allows us to understand whether streets and places are suitable for pedestrians, both now and into the future.

Understanding current pedestrian activity, estimating how many people would walk if the environment were modified, and forecasting walking activity in the future are important inputs to planning for walking.

Everyone can be a pedestrian. Effective community involvement in walking projects is very important to make walking an option for as many journeys as possible.

Engaging with the disability sector helps ensure that processes, plans, and infrastructure for walking are all designed to be as inclusive of all people as possible.