Walking spaces : Changing pedestrian practices in Britain since c. 1850

Pooley, Colin (2021) Walking spaces : Changing pedestrian practices in Britain since c. 1850. Journal of Transport History, 42 (2). pp. 227-246. ISSN 0022-5266

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Abstract

Walking is one of the most sustainable and healthy forms of everyday travel over short distances, but pedestrianism has declined substantially in almost all countries over the past century. This paper uses a combination of personal testimonies and government reports to examine how the spaces through which people travel have changed over time, to chart the impacts that such changes have had on pedestrian mobility, and to consider the shifts that are necessary to revitalise walking as a common form of everyday travel. In the nineteenth century, most urban spaces were not especially conducive to walking, but many people did walk as they had little alternative and the sheer number of pedestrians meant that they could dominate urban space. In the twentieth century successive planning decisions have reshaped cities making walking appear both harder and riskier. Motorised transport has been normalised and pedestrianism marginalised. Only radical change will reverse this.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Journal of Transport History
Additional Information:
The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Journal of Transport History, 42, 2 (2021), 2021, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2020 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Journal of Transport History page: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jthc on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1200/1200
Subjects:
?? mobilityplanningpedestriansautomobilitysustainabilitygeneral arts and humanitiesgeneral social sciencesarts and humanities (miscellaneous)historytransportationgeography, planning and development ??
ID Code:
145653
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
15 Jul 2020 10:21
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
26 Oct 2024 00:24