Student ID: 220409

Keynote for the Session on Pedestrian-friendly city

Presented by: Md Kaium Molla, Student id:220409 , Urban and Rural Planning Discipline, Khulna
University

Abstract : The present keynote discusses the idea of these cities, its design and its benefits, and the
policies that must be in place. Certain attributes such as connectiveness, easiness, comfort, sociability, and
eye-catching tendency will be put forward, as well as the transformations in the planning from the cars as
the center to cities innovated for people. Active walking and sustainability utilizing the engineering
integration of environment friendly green energy and technology has also been regarded as important.
Examples of such interventions are from cities like Copenhagen and Bogota.

Keynote Outline:
✓ Introduction to pedestrian friendly city
✓ Key attributes of pedestrian friendly city
✓ Paradigm Shift in Urban Innovation
✓ People-Centered Technology
✓ Green Energy & Pedestrian Spaces
✓ Successful Interventions
✓ Cross-Cutting Issues
✓ Challenges and Gaps for Bangladesh
✓ How the cities of Bangladesh can be turned into pedestrian friendly city

Introduction to pedestrian friendly city

The concept of pedestrian-friendly urban spaces is grounded in prioritizing walking, cycling, and public
transport over car use. This approach reduces traffic congestion and pollution while promoting healthier
lifestyles. (19.06.24 by Silvia Coronado)
Pedestrian-oriented streets are the most beautiful and remarkable streets in most of the communities. They
are vibrant and filled with activity. People are encouraged to stay on these streets not only because it is
safe and easy to move around but also because it is an engaging environment. This policy places walking
to the fore, along with efforts to instil sustainable alternatives in urban areas. The policies designed for the
convenience of walkers understand that the idea of walkability transcends just the ability of a person to
walk. It includes safety, comfort, accessibility, and enjoyment, and hence, brings together such disparate
issues as safety for pedestrians, traffic, mixed use development, urban sprawl, transportation, and the
quality of life in cities. In other words, the objective of the policies is to build walkable cities such that,
clean and pleasant walking paths are created interlinking various active social areas for both the residents
and the visitors. The primary focus for such policies is modifying the physical infrastructure of the streets,
particularly the design of the pavements and the space available for pedestrians, so that the environment
encourages walking. This requires well-designed urban policies that seek to resolve the intricate dynamics
between land use patterns, the physical structures that are created, and the modes of locomotion,
principally walking.
Student ID: 220409

Key attributes of pedestrian friendly city

The key attributes of an environment required to encourage walking, which stands for

• Connected: connected networks for good access to key destinations.

• Convenient: is walking more efficient in matters of time and money.

• Comfortable: related to how much does local facilities meet design standards.

• Convivial: connects two qualities liveable and together.

• Conspicuous: are walking routes clearly sign posted and well furnished.

Paradigm Shift in Urban Innovation

The recent evolution in the concept of urban innovation is a clear indicator that cities are veering away
from building designs that are car-centric to those that cater to the movement of people. Traditionally,
cities were designed with the primary goal of providing even more space for driving by extending the
road system and including many parking lots. However, now it is more common to design skyscrapers with
mixed-use, meaning residential, commercial and recreational spaces in one building, encouraging people
to walk rather than use cars. This change is also fueled by technologies, as IoT and data science will
optimize the work of the pedestrian infrastructure. The ability to leverage real-time data transforms cities
into safer and more comfortable, as well as more walkable, places, thereby making them more congenial
to their inhabitants.

People-Centered Technology
The advances in human-centered technologies are also changing the urban spaces by making them more
adaptable. Notable changes are walkways and intelligent signage which enhance the overall safety and
the comfort of the pedestrians. Not only do these technologies transform the management of the users in
large cities using real-time data, but they are also able to adjust to variables such as the amount of
pedestrian traffic and climatic conditions to promote safe walking. Such becomes possible through
optimization of traffic items like signals and kina planning of the routes so as time is not wasted in
unnecessary travel. In addition, allowing the people to take part in the making of public space designs
makes sure that such spaces are not just built for the sake of building but posit real needs and desires of
the people. This kind of design also makes it easy for the users to interact with the environment in a sense
that, it is not only usable but meets the users’ way of life.

Green Energy & Pedestrian Spaces

Green energy and pedestrian zones are essential components of sustainable urban development
strategies, which seek to improve the health and quality of life of cities. Green energy emphasizes the use
of new sources, such as solar, wind, and hydro power, in order to replace the reliance on fossil fuels.
Developments in this area include energy-harvesting pavements that generate electric power to energize
streetlights and other public facilities from the kinetic energy of people walking and walking over them,
green roofs, and vertical gardens that help in thermal insulation, consumption of energy, and enhancement
of air quality and diversity. Projects promoting pedestrian access in cities are referred to as pedestrian
Student ID: 220409

friendly projects. One of the important policies is the provision of green streets with plants and
environmentally friendly construction practices for the treatment of storm water, urban heat suppression,
and beautification of roads, and the provision of safe, convenient walking paths within compact cities with
low automobile usage to control air pollution and promote healthy living. In unison, green energy and
walkable areas are imperative in enhancing sustainability of urban areas, building healthier population
and reducing the anthropogenic effects on the environment.

Successful Interventions
Interventions aimed at encouraging walking as a mode of transport have been reported in a number of
case studies and developments. For example, Copenhagen, Portland and Bogota are all cities with good
pedestrian oriented urban planning. Whereas Copenhagen is marked with countless numbers of bike tracks
and pedestrian reserved areas which improved walking efficiency and minimized the use of vehicles. In
Portland on the other hand, a sustainable urban form is achieved through the design of green streets and
pedestrian friendly urban enclaves. In jaunted Bogota, there is the street closure for the use of pedestrians
and Cyclists in the ‘Ciclovía’ program, which is high at certain periods. In addition, pole-mounted sensors
that allow bigger capacity transports to be more efficient service delivery also help the users and the city.
While the wave of revolutionizing technology has seen crosswalks that are Smart, Traffic light control
systems are also smart. These are traffic light control systems which change the light mainly for vehicles
depending on the load of pedestrians that needs to use the crosswalk at that moment. The sensors then go
a step further to communication and enhancing the management of the vehicles to reduce any chances of
causing danger to the users. These are just a few of the cases that demonstrate the ability of modern
innovations, oftentimes combined with practice, to transform cities and urban spaces into more pedestrian-
friendly environments.

Cross-Cutting Issues
In making cities more pedestrian-friendly, certain key pass-slicing problems present themselves, including
governance, inclusivity and climate resilience. Effective governance means that municipalities should have
clear definitions of the roles and responsibilities regarding the implementation and enforcement of
regulations promoting pedestrianism. Inclusivity means that people’s considerations of masculinity and
ability are put into perspective when carrying out urban improvements so that all affirmative action does
not depend on gender as well as physical ability. Climate resilience centers on the creation of pedestrian
friendly spaces which allow the towns to live with climate change, for instance, by including green spaces to
alleviate heat and manage storm water. Dealing with these issues simultaneously guaranteed that urban
development was equitable within the active population, feasible and environmentally sound.

Challenges and Gaps for Bangladesh

The principle of developing a pedestrian friendly in Bangladesh contains several challenging points:

❖ Rapid Urbanization: A fast-growing population results in an uncontrolled urban sprawl, and it is

very difficult to build pedestrian friendly city with these rapidly evolving territories.

❖ Limited Space: In dense urban areas, space constraints can make it challenging to integrate
pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.
Student ID: 220409

❖ Infrastructure Limitations: Poor road conditions, and inadequate public transport systems still stop
efficient movement and connectivity.
❖ Land Use Regulations: As it stands the zoning laws may not facilitate mixed-use development,
resulting in minimal opportunities to blend commercial and residential areas.
❖ Economic: Poor financial resources that become a barrier for investors to invest in sustainable
infrastructure.
❖ Cultural Factors: In many cities car centric culture dominates. Shifting public perception and
encouraging people to walk instead of drive can be a significant hurdle.
❖ Environmental Concerns: Flooding and climate change vulnerabilities add to the impediments urban
planning and infrastructure stability face.
❖ Political Challenges: Governance issues and bureaucratic inefficiencies are the factors that delay
or obstruct effective urban planning activities respectively.
Tackling these challenges needs elaborate planning, community involvement, and well-run governance.

How the cities of Bangladesh can be turned into pedestrian friendly city

❖ Urban Planning and Zoning: Adopting blended-use zoning to inspire diverse improvement along
the strains wherein residential, commercial, and recreational spaces coexist to create dynamic
neighborhoods for residing, operating, and gambling.
❖ Community Involvement: Involve the network within the technique of making plans developments to
make certain that their wishes are catered for, and this will be greater attractive to them. This
offers them ownership and allows community participation.
❖ Provide walkways or signs during maintenance/construction periods.
❖ Improvements to the pedestrian environment should be included in all road construction projects.
❖ Prioritize improvements to footpath availability on all high and medium motorized traffic volume
roads. Make streets with little motorized traffic either free of motorized vehicles or pedestrian
priority streets.
❖ Land use mix should be increased to make walking more viable.
❖ Pedestrian‐oriented lighting should be increased, as it prevents both crime and injury
❖ High volume roads should have footpaths on both sides of the road.
❖ Medium volume traffic roads should have a footpath on at least one side of the road

Reference: Coronado, S. (2019, June 24). Designing cities for people, not cars: Pedestrian-friendly urban
spaces.

Harvey, D. (2012). Rebel cities: From the right to the city to the urban revolution

Crawford, J. H. (2000). Carfree cities. International Books.

Salat, S., & Bourdic, L. (2012). Urban complexity, efficiency, and resilience of 21st century cities. Asian
Development Bank.

Pucher, J., & Buehler, R. (2008). Making cycling irresistible: Lessons from the Netherlands, Denmark and
Germany.

Montgomery, C. (2013). Happy city: Transforming our lives through urban design