London Conference Conclusion

 

Conclusions from the Walk21 Conference
These conclusions were drafted by the London Walking Forum and CAST, and were approved by the Walk21 Conference Steering Group

Policy

  • Walking in cities makes for more livable cities - and the issues are of global relevance
  • Policy to encourage walking needs to focus on the naturalness and relevance of walking issues to the quality of life, not as an alternative activity
  • We have to encourage a paradigm shift in the way that policy-makers think about walking: meeting travel demands for walkers is a pre-requisite for global sustainability
  • Walking is not just fun: for many people it is essential
  • It is important to avoid a false confrontation between the environment and the economy: the new information economy depends on density, agglomeration and face to face meeting

Research

  • The quality of the environment for walkers is related to the success of the city as a whole. There is thus a need to develop indicators of urban quality and economic vitality based on walking.
  • The need for future research should be explored collectively and joint projects proposed informed by the DELPHI data
  • In order better to inform policy makers, we need to clarify the wider economic issues (besides urban spend) of encouraging walking and to identify the impact these have at different scales

Communication

  • Anti-car and pro-walking messages at the exclusion of broader issues are less likely to be effective than joined up thinking and implementation which weaves walking messages within a cross section of policy frameworks
  • To further justify the development of pro-walking policy, new thinking on economic issues needs to be communicated to specific target groups
  • More needs to be known about the motivations of walkers and health/leisure triggers need to be explored to see if they can stimulate longer term every day walking

Resources

  • We can design walker-friendly infrastructure for a fraction of the cost of providing large-scale facilities for motorised movement
  • Walking champions and professionals should be identified, encouraged and their needs supported within decision-making structures. They should be given the opportunity to meet regularly. Support needs to be given to their training needs and credibility given to their expertise
  • Walking advocates should be encouraged to gain support and strength from each other.
  • We need to join up funding as well as thinking

Practice

  • Metropolitan and Capital cities should explore the opportunity of developing parallel walking strategies which link across policies and implement a programme of cluster investment in good practice
  • Universal minimum standards need to be set and agreed for a good walking environment in cities making use of existing best practice
Papers