Footpath

Abstract: Pedestrian issues have become one of the most important considerations in the planning of urban transport schemes. The policies that exist to manage the interaction between pedestrians and vehicles have evolved over a time period that parallels the growth in motor vehicle traffic with many policies predating motorisation. Many of these policies are currently being re-examined and studied in more detail. With current developments in mind, it is important to understand how existing policies originated. This paper is an effort to clarify an otherwise obscure picture of an often-neglected part of transport history. Three main issues are specifically explored: the development of footpaths, pedestrian crossings and road safety with the aim of providing an understanding of how this development can provide perspectives on current pedestrian policies.

Abstract: The study reported in this article examined the relationship between school location, the built environment around schools, student travel to school, and the emissions impacts of school travel. Findings argue for neighborhood schools and improvements to sidewalk networks around schools. According to the study, centrally located schools to which students can walk or bike would reduce vehicle emissions significantly.

Abstract: An overview into the development, politics and policies on walking and pedestrians in the city is provided in this book. The book addresses issues on the struggle of pedestrianization in town centers, the attempts to create independent pedestrian footpaths and the popularity of traffic calming in reducing pedestrian accidents. Case studies from the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Britain, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United States of America (USA) and Canada are also provided. The book is divided into two parts. The first part consists of 7 chapters on history. The titles of the chapters are: From Innovative Street Layouts to the Fight against Urban Motorways in the U.S.; Motorization and Footpath Planning during the Third Reich; The Role of the Pedestrian after World War II in West Germany: The Early Years; Pedestrianization, Public Transport and Traffic Calming in West Germany; The ‘better’ Germany?; Urban planning, Transport and Pedestrian-Friendly Devices in East Germany; The British Approach towards Roads Transport and the Pedestrian in Urban Areas from the 1940s to the early 1970s; and British Attempts to achieve Better Walking Conditions in the late 1970s to the 1990s. The second part consists of 8 chapters on practices. The titles of the chapters are: Walking in Great Britain and the Case Study London; Walking in Germany: Is there Progress?; The Nordic Approach: Denmark; Further North: Norway; The USA and Canada: An Overview of Walking Research and Policies; Walking in North America - A European View: The Leaders; Walking in the United States - A European View: The Followers; and the Future of Walking.

Abstract: In the last decade, several influential scholars have rigorously worked on the impact of neoliberal globalization on the poor in the cities of the South. But they have yet to provide a comprehensive account of how and why some groups in the margins are seen to successfully negotiate with the new modes of governing populations and increase their visibility as a “category,” while some groups fail to do so. This paper seeks to bridge this research gap by comparing a successful and a failed mobilization in Calcutta. In both cases, use of the footpath has been central. The paper shows how the success of the hawkers in claiming the footpath is tied to the marginalization of the claims of the pavement dwellers that has (a) homogenized the representation of the footpath as only used by pedestrians and hawkers and (b) led to the elision of the pavement dwellers as a governmental category. The paper argues that by arrogating to themselves an archival function—which is conventionally associated with the governmental state—sections of population like the hawkers can become successful in their negotiations with the government.