Improving local economies with more walkable main streets, town centres and adjacent areas
{All content has been excerpted from our evidence paper: ‘Good for business – the health and economic benefits of making main streets and town centres more walkable’. References are provided in the full paper.}
While the health and environmental benefits of walkable streets and town centres are widely recognised, the economic benefits are often overlooked. The result is that land use decisions and business cases often favour car travel despite a significant body of evidence supporting the economic case for prioritising walkability.
Over the past 30 years, many research studies have explored the link between retail spending in town centres and the customer’s mode of access. The findings consistently demonstrate that active transport users, especially those on foot, have higher cumulative spending over time than people who drive cars.
There is evidence that visitors to town centres and main streets do not put a high priority on car access and parking. Instead, they most value the walkable, amenable, people-oriented public spaces that create safe, welcoming and inclusive environments.
Improved walkability and higher quality business districts which offer enjoyable, comfortable experiences result in more people visiting more often, staying longer and spending more.
Recent developments—such as the rise of e-cargo bikes for last-mile delivery, trials of discounted public transport, and the increase in working from home—have had an economic impact on our town centre. These and other changes continue to support streetscape design that prioritises walking, wheeling and bike riding.
Despite the growing body of supportive evidence, some misperceptions persist about the value of active transport to retail areas… (A) potential cause of misperception about shoppers’ arrival mode and spend is consensus bias. This phenomenon occurs when a person’s behaviour influences their assumptions about the behaviour of others.
Beyond higher cumulative spending, active transport users can improve an area simply through their presence. Walking around, window-shopping or sitting at a café contribute to the vibrancy of town centres.
The importance of car access and parking in town centres and main streets is often over-emphasised, at the potential expense of otherwise being able to make these areas more walkable and economically vibrant. This occurs due to a misperception about arrival modes, lack of awareness about the downsides of car parking and its negative impact on foot traffic, and lack of awareness that public realm amenity is of most value to people shopping.
Walking, wheeling and bike riding, including e-bikes, present an opportunity to satisfy about three quarters of mobility demands for short journeys in towns and cities worldwide. However, currently only about one third are walked, wheeled or ridden and more than half of them are made by motorised vehicles.
To help realise this opportunity, we recommend four key actions to improve the walkability of town centres and main streets, that will help to realise the economic benefits of walkable streetscapes. These actions are predominantly low cost and require minimal intervention, and simultaneously support the environmental, social and health benefits of walking, wheeling and biking in our daily lives.
The paper’s summary of recommendations are:
- Improve walking, wheeling and bike riding access to town centres and main streets to deliver greater footfall. Walking, wheeling and bike riding networks must be easy to join, comfortable and safe, with particular attention given to minimising road danger, delays and detours, including at road crossings.
- Enhance amenity in town centres and main streets by ensuring connected, comfortable and attractive environments with places to dwell and ‘sticky streets’.
- Reallocate some car parking spaces to create higher quality environments for walking, wheeling and bike riding. Proven methods for achieving more balanced car parking volumes and encouraging acceptance from business interests are to:
- revise parking minimums through parking reform;
- pilot parklets to replace some on-street parking places – for seating, bike racks, greenery, public art and outdoor dining;
- trial the reallocation of underused sections of roadway as public spaces that allow more people to walk, wheel, ride bikes and dwell; and
- experiment with Ciclovía.
You can read the full report:
https://www.healthyactivebydesign.com.au/resources/publications_and_policies