Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time (Tenth Anniversary Edition)

I often browse the nonfiction section (or the customers also bought lists) in search of new things to learn about. In the process of this, I have read boring books, misleading/inaccurate/biased books, books about off-the-wall/niche topics, and interesting books that have allowed me to learn about a topic I likely never would have touched otherwise. The Walkable City is probably the best book I have ever found as a result of this browsing. A relatively short but insightful book written by an experienced architect, The Walkable City lays out an evidence based case for having a walkable and bikeable downtown area that is illustrated throughout with explanations of case studies and anecdotal examples. Everything is fully explained (both a basic 'this is what _____ means' as well as 'these are the implications of ____'), which - having no knowledge of civil engineering or city planning - I very much appreciated. But, what I think really makes the book (especially as a learning tool for a general audience) is the inclusion of Speck's dry and admittedly sarcastic humor. I found it hilarious and a good counterbalance to heavier topics (such as dry jokes about traffic engineers during a section on pedestrian deaths due to traffic behavior as a result road construction). Overall, I am very pleased to have stumbled across The Walkable City and it is a book that I would be happy to reccomend.

Disclaimer: I live in Portland, and Jeff Speck LOVES Portland. I bought and read this wonderful book when it first came out, and in the year or so since then I've watched several of Jeff Speck's talks (including his TED talk), followed him on Twitter, read a ton of related articles, and generally become an urban design and transportation wonk. Walkable City is a very substantial book that reads like a breeze--eye-opening, entertaining, convincing. Yes, it suits my Portlandy bike-riding bias, but Speck's facts are solid and well-substantiated, and he makes a very good case that cities should do all they can to make themselves attractive to those who want to live in them. Though it's factually hard to dispute that per capita, dense urban living is the least environmentally damaging choice a person could make, Speck is NOT saying that everyone should move to cities right now. I can see where someone devoted to suburban or rural life would feel threatened by his arguments and get all up in arms over their right to commute by car or whatever. But settle down, folks: he's just saying that a lot of people really do want to live the urban life and that if cities are smart, they'll court those folks. Then there will be plenty of highway and lawn and exurban delight available for those who like that way of life. Walkable City is paean to good cities, and a well-reasoned and seriously not-that-threatening treatise on how cities can become good.

"Walkable City (Tenth Anniversary Edition)" is an enlightening read that offers a fresh perspective on urban planning and, surprisingly, transformed my views on parking. Jeff Speck masterfully illustrates how prioritizing walkability can revolutionize city landscapes, offering a blend of well-researched data and engaging narratives. The book is not just a theoretical discourse but a practical guide filled with achievable strategies for making cities more livable and sustainable. What struck me most was the insightful discussion on parking policies and how they shape our urban environments, often to the detriment of walkability and community vitality. This eye-opening section is a great read for anyone interested in urban development or sustainability. Whether you're an urban planner, a city dweller, or just someone curious about the future of our cities, this book is a compelling and thought-provoking journey. It is highly recommended for its ability to challenge conventional wisdom and inspire change.

The author, a city planner /designer has written an urban yet very readable guide to helping cities get away from their car addictions. Many of our local public forums return to keeping our city( New Westminster) a walkable city. Specks book is a great first step in seeing what can be and is being done in many places. He does an excellent job of stipping us of the car based blinders and prejudices that we all have in North America. I appreciated that he noted the efforts of Vancouver and Portland in these efforts. I just completed a journey to Greece and Western Turkey and it is blindingly how much more interesting an old, pre car built city is for walking than one that is car based. And how increased traffic can really bind up these cities. Too bad they look to the West for insight son how to handle this. Kind of like asking a heroin addict how to kick the habit. Speck also does a great job of showing/ linking our car based designs to increased carbon footprints and how some thoughts in design can ameliorate/prevent self induced issues. That was again brought to me in the Turkish city of Marmaris which had many covered streets/bazaars that were very pedestrian oriented. This was in a city that has an average daily temp of 30 degs. Shade is really important. Terminal 2 in Heathrow, UK is another good example , which uses mostly north facing windows to prevent increased heat build up in the open plan building. Its is a good job. If you fly Star Allianace you can experience this. I recommend this to anyone interested in living in a more interesting, energetic and vibrant city.

I bought this book to help support an independent study project I needed to complete for a college-level class designed around Edward Glaeser's " Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier ." I knew the book would help me develop a strong and effective PowerPoint lecture for the class on my topic of walkable cities, but I had no idea how delightful it would be to read this book straight through from beginning to end as a form of pleasure. Nor did I realize how much I would learn overall about the basics of urban design. Although this book is focused on how to make cities more walkable, it really served the purpose of being an engaging introduction to the whole field of urban and city planning. After reading Speck's book, I now see my own lovely city and the many thousands that I've visited here and abroad over my life in a completely new light. This book gives me a context within which to understand why certain cities attract me and others do not. It is as if I now have a language to clearly understand cities for the first time. Honestly, you know how good it feels when you get eyeglasses for the first time and see what the world really looks like? Well, that's what this book did for me. I now see cities in a whole new light. I only wish at this book could be read by my mayor, all my city councilmen, all the citizens on our planning commission, and all the citizens in my community that have the power to vote on our city's major land use initiatives. This book is getting almost consistent five-star ratings. I can do little more than join in and whole-heartedly agree.

Pros: 1. THe author doesn't just focus on sidwalks and walkways but he also focuses on how other physical elements, like buses, railways, and even trees can compliment or enhance walkways. So while the book is called walkable city it also gives invaluable insight into other elements. 2. Jeff Speck does a great job of blending, analogies, stories, statistic, studies, and facts into one book. Often times you see authors struggle to find that balance, or they have a book that is composed of 70% analogies and 30% facts, or like 90% opinion with like 10% facts. Or a boring textbook like book where it's 95% facts and 5% other stuff. But Jeff Speck does a good job of balancing all these elements out leading to a dynamic and fun book. 3. The book is written to where even if you're not a city planner you can understand it. I came into the book having virtually no understand of planning whatsoever in regards to sidewalks and roads. However, I was still able to understand 90% of the content (there was one chapter where I was lost) and learn a lot from it. Cons: 1. It would be that one chapter I mentioned above...it was near the end of the book and short though so it's no biggie...but still it was a hard read.

I'm no stranger to Jeff Speck's work (Suburban Nation, Smart Growth Manual). He and I sing the same hymns, and preach from the same editions of The Book of Great City Living and Pedestrian Life. I bought Speck's latest book because, as an urban designer and writer myself, I felt I should have this in my library. I figured I might find a couple of useful tidbits to make cities happier places to live, but no huge revelations. Nothing that I didn't know already. Wrong. This book is packed with astute insights into what makes for livable, lovable communities. Speck's genius, I think, is finding connections between seemingly disparate urban phenomena. And offering solutions that are pragmatic, implementable, and so, so...SIMPLE that it is hard to believe we have gotten it so wrong for so long. I wish this book came out when I was wrapping up my latest book Making Transit Fun!: How to Entice Motorists from Their Cars (and onto their feet, a bike, or bus) . My book is pretty good ;-) But it would have been better had I had Speck's book before mine went to press. Best of all, Speck's literary style is engaging. This book is an easy read, an inspiring read, and a compelling read. I thought I was just going to flip through a few pages, maybe read a chapter or two, and then place it on my shelf alongside the dozens of other planning books. Wrong again. I was surprised how quickly I became absorbed in this book. Most planning books are drier than butter-less popcorn. Speck's book glides down the gullet with flavor.

This is an important book, because it demonstrates how most of the city planning over the past 50 years in the United States has been entirely slaved to the motor car. It offers solutions, many of them straightforward, as to how this situation may be remedied allowing our cities and neighborhoods to become walkable. I live in an already walkable neighborhood but am struck by how rare this type of neighborhood is in our cities. Walkable City is written in an entertaining style with plenty of footnotes to provide detail if necessary. It is a book for the future but also to remind us how manygreat aspects of our past cities have been lost to the motor vehicle. And one of the most amazing statistics in the book is that if you divide the current daily mileage driven by the average person in the US by the total time spent either driving or working to pay for the ability to drive, it comes out to be about 5 miles per hour. That is, hardly a shred more than walking. I strongly recommend this book to everyone interested in reclaiming their cities for the pedestrian.

.... and want to tear up my towns streets. Very informative book, every facet of the authors views are backed up factually with peer reviewed studies. It will absolutely make you look at transit and living in a city in a new light. I am currently using the knowledge gained here to approach my council about making some changes, and if that fails it will definitely add a layer of complexity to my Cities Skylines game!

Great book. Many great ideas documented and a good inspirational read. This is really useful to talk through many examples of tackling todays problems with cities, especially when the city you live is very car centric. It’s great to know that there are ways to change that and make the city more liveable and enjoyable for it’s citizens. It’s not just about walkable, but also bikeable and includes public transport. A must read for anyone interested in improving their own perspective on the witty around them and willing to do something about it.

Fantastic book! Great insight into the world of urban planning and is great for any young planner in the field!

Livro imprescindível para quem estuda o urbanismo contemporâneo, já que trata de um assunto muito recorrente hoje: cidades caminháveis e o incentivo ao caminhar pela cidade. Didático, mostra passo a passo como melhor a experiência dos pedestres nos ambientes urbanos. Dá exemplos de experiências próprias, estudos científicos e estudos de caso reais. As vezes é um pouco repetitivo em seus argumentos, mas não deixa de ser essencial como bibliografia para nossos planejadores, engenheiros e arquitetos. Brochura bem feita, fonte e impressão ótimas para leitura.

really good book, easy to read and approach, really recommended to have an overall view of this wonderful urban theory. funny and clever!