How to Make our Cities More Walkable | Jeff Speck

Visit WRLDCTY.com to get our entire library of keynotes, experiences, and more.
Walkability: The Best Motivation, Means and Measure for Making Sustainable Cities
Speakers: Jeff Speck, Urban Planner
In his bestselling books on urban design, Jeff Speck explains why and how a sharp focus on a comprehensive framework of “deep walkability” provides a clear path to saving our cities and the planet. In this visually compelling harangue, Jeff shares the four key reasons to fight for walkability and the four key ways to achieve it.
About WRLDCTY
WRLDCTY is the world’s first and largest global city event and activation platform for cities and destinations.
Follow WRLDCTY on Twitter: / wrldctyfestival
Like WRLDCTY on Facebook: / wrldcty
Follow WRLCTY on Instagram: / wrldctyfestival
Subscribe to our channel: / wrldcty

[@alissa.aerial]

As someone who works in downtown Oklahoma City: THANK YOU. I actively enjoy walking around the area I work and rarely feel cramped or unsafe. As I walked to the Myriad Gardens last week, I thought to myself how my city must have brought someone in to design it.

[@tanileavitt2183]

This could save the world!

[@aNotoriousPhD]

it really can, it is wild how many different aspects of life city design and transportation design affect

[@chrishintz1077]

I am gobsmacked that far flung Lancaster, Ca has done something as progressive as that street rebuild with the tree lined median parkway. Thanks for the pic. City planners, please, more of this.

[@MichaelSalo]

The Lancaster example is phenomenal. This alone should be enough to sell redesigns of streets across the country. 38:53

[@couchman6832]

Thank you for spreading this knowledge! As an avid advocate of walkable cities and bike infrastructure, I wish I could get every American to read your books or listen to your speeches.

[@Littleweenaman]

I think we get closer all the time there's a lot of good people here

[@jameshannum7270]

Sprawl builds OUT; density builds UP. To provide enclosure you need multi-story. Paris and other citis have started to charge €100 to drive into their city centers per day. There is no reason a person has to drive a car into a city center. He can take transit. If the transit is too far from his home to walk to, he can drive to the transit station.

[@rhianimal19]

So they build multi-story towers to trap the poor inside them far above the ground and nature, segregated from the rest of humanity. Over time they allow them to fall apart, be taken over by crime and gangs and drugs, leaving those people living there in a virtual prison. It has already happened in the US multiple times. It is not a solution, it is a form of segregation of class.

[@Basta11]

Enclosure can be achieve with trees.

[@illiiilli24601]

I think the more pressing problem is missing middle housing, 2 or 3 stories without the setback that is often featured in NA suburbs has the density to be able to sustain walkable neighbourhoods.

[@louisnall3102]

@@illiiilli24601some ways that can be achieved are relaxing residential zoning codes and instituting a land value tax in some towns.

[@robcerrato6528]

I really enjoyed everything about this video. I just moved from NYC to a small walkable downtown in CT because raising a family is too expensive in NYC. I hope building more walkable places around the country will drive demand and prices down in cities like NYC and SF.

[@daniellekezia]

As an aspiring Architect, this lecture is indeed amazing! You're helping a lot of students with this 💛

[@amber9040]

14:27 A cyclist having that much space would be a dream in my suburban hellscape.

[@00gingervitis]

When mentioning the Netherlands, people should know that it was public outcry, protesting, and lobbying that got cars out of cities. They were tired of the fatalities that kept happening and it was the public pressure that drove the changes. We can do it!!!

[@dedisetiadi7642]

Thankyu Mr Jeff

[@MrDecentlife]

Great lecture! Covering everything from sustainable mobility to sustainable public spaces and residential architecture!

[@saranbhatia8809]

Good talk!

[@chrishintz1077]

I just found out that even if I don’t drive a car, I am effectively “driving” about 25 miles a day. Something to ponder.

[@smatiimene1444]

Great

[@thefrub]

My problem with the walkability movement is that they only seem to care about the downtown core of cities, when like 80% of people in the US live in the sprawling burbs. A walk needs to have an origin and a destination, an exercise trail behind people's houses is kind of useless, and a path that only links up businesses to other businesses is also kind of useless. Destinations in the burbs like grocery stores and schools need walkable paths

[@rhianimal19]

The point is that there should be no burbs. They are the problem.

[@thefrub]

@@rhianimal19 Well they're already there, we can't just ignore them when they dominate American culture

[@rhianimal19]

@@thefrub Yah, actually we can.

[@Basta11]

Suburbs were designed for the car, but they can be redesigned for people. Narrow the streets with sidewalks, bike lanes or green spaces, trees, or public transit lanes. Make cars slow down so people feel safer walking and biking. Parks can be turned into bicycle and pedestrian commuter highways. Build pedestrian bridges to connect residential to commercial. If your suburb doesn't have space for these things, then its probably time to build up, allow more density. Allow schools and businesses to be closer to residential or even mixed. Allow houses to be converted into restaurants, shops, and offices. Allow multi family homes and mix use development in. Here, zoning laws and NIMBY's are the real problem. If you can walk or bike comfortably and safely to work, shop, dine, and do groceries, that's less driving you've got to do. If schools are near by, you don't have to drive your kids to that school. Parks can have commuter paths for walking / biking that connect residential and commercial.

[@Basta11]

Where I live in Irvine CA. The streets are very wide between commercial and residential blocks. There's a shopping center right across my house but cars travel so fast that its dangerous to cross the street. That street doesn't even get much traffic at all. I do it all the time, but my wife is hesitant, and I'd be hesitant if I'm with our child. Driving to get across makes more sense because it feels more safe and the parking lots are very big and uncomfortable to walk through. This can all be fixed with some rearrangement of priorities and smart redesigning.

[@rhianimal19]

Developers run the US, and nada will change as long as that remains the policy

[@notmyname9625]

Its not the developers fault honestly. Our current zoning in most places doesnt allow for walkability. If it did then developers would stand to make a profit off this kind of development and u can bet ur ass they’d do it. Developers arent the enemy its our zoning codes and those to stubborn/ignorant to reconsider them who are.

[@ausboy2281]

@@notmyname9625 this

[@SUL-KSA]

How urban vegetation could be part of this discussion?

[@chrishintz1077]

How are we going to fund the changes needed when the tax base is largely car dependent suburbs? I can still hear the objections to adding even one semi-safe bike lane to a boulevard.

[@Aeyekay0]

Important to point out when he said people should move, he should have been more specific and said move to a down town or (closer to) the city center, Not to a different city altogether. Great talk though

[@jordansage9655]

Hopefully TAAS / robotaxis will help free up billions of acres in the next few decades. Hope we use the new space wisely!

[@jameshannum7270]

No you don't need to protect pedestrians and sidewalk cafes with cars parked along the curb. Keep cars out of the city! Build steel barriers to protect the cafes. Narrow the streets so that cars can only go 5 mph. 'Raus mid den Autos!

[@enjoyslearningandtravel7957]

Raus mid den Autos, probably means , out with the cars !, if anybody’s wondering.

[@vaheavg]

The fact that this only has 1,885 views makes me sad. It show that American cities will not change anytime soon. Time to move somewhere else I guess...

[@MaxFung]

it has 13k now

[@jordansage9655]

41:37

[@chrishintz1077]

Hopefully by the next generation or two walkable cities (suburbs!) will predominate. Unfortunately the ship has sailed for the boomer generation.

[@jordansage9655]

39:39

[@ebalicious1775]

This does not have enough views

[@xtreme242]

Sir you have an awful amount of faith that American motorists can navigate a four way stop

[@therealdutchidiot]

Copenhagen? Oh my sweet summer child

[@AllenGraetz]

" The divorce rate is higher is suburban areas than urban areas " Oh boy, someone's been drinking the koolaid

[@matthewthomas7824]

Oh he's a German, concentration camps are being rebranded. Tell us more about the checkpoints and penalties for escaping.