Contents
- Still time to register for the Walking Conference
- Golden Foot Walking Awards
- Model Communities funding awarded
- Making Streets for walking
- How far will people walk?
- Planning for walking
- Be sweet to your pedestrians
- New Zealand Recreation Conference
Still time to register for the Walking Conference
Less than two weeks to go till the NZ Walking Conference, but therer's still time to register. The conference will be a wonderful opportunity to find out what's happening for walking around the country, including the Model Communities programme, how walking-friendly cities have streets paved with gold, what's new in urban design and infrastructure for walking, and good ways to get people out of their cars and onto their feet. You'll have a chance to experience walking in Wellington's CBD and along the waterfront, and to go barefoot on a tropical island. Find out more
Golden Foot Walking Awards
The 2010 Golden Foot Awards attracted many high quality entries from around the country. The panel of judges had a hard job picking the best projects as finalists in each of the four categories. Thanks to everyone who nominated and sent in entries, and if you weren't sucessful this year, better luck next year! The winners will receive their trophies at the Awards Ceremony on Sunday 1st August, just before the Walking Conference.
Model Communities funding awarded
Government has allocated seven million dollars over the next two years for the Model Communities programme. This was one of the initiatives in the Getting There; on foot by cycle strategy. The selection process is now over, and NZTA has awarded the Model Communities funding to two areas - New Plymouth and Hastings. The expectation is that by demonstrating the positive changes resulting from more investment in walking and cycling, planning will change so that walking and cycling are used as the focus of integrated planning in the future.
Making Streets for walking
"We should take control of our streets. If 85 percent of our motorists are driving faster than we want them to, then we need to redesign the street," says Dan Burden, in an interview by Streetblog New York City. Dan Burden, keynote speaker at the 2008 NZ Walking Conference, was involved in developing a recently published report "Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach". The US report, co-authored by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), lays out a set of design standards for places where people can get around by foot or on a bicycle - very similar to the "Pedestrian planning and design guide " put out by Land Transport New Zealand. Dan Burden was named by Time Magazine as one of the World's six most influential civic innovators.
Hw far will people walk?
A US study “How far, by Which Route, and Why? A Spatial Analysis of Pedestrian Preference” looks at how local infrastructure affects people's willingness and capacity to walk to their destinations. The report found that people on average walk far further than assumed by planners, and that time and distance are key factors in choosing their route, as well as consideration of safety, attractiveness and length of waits at traffic lights.
Planning for walking
A number of papers presented at the 2010 International Planning Conference "Planning pathways to the future" are very relevant to walking, according to several people who attended the conference.
Be sweet to your pedestrians
“If you want a city that is lively, vibrant, livable, safe, sustainable and healthy, be sweet to your pedestrians” was the message from Jan Gehl, the internationally renowned urban planner from Copenhagen, speaking while in Auckland recently. Gehl sees hope yet for Auckland to become a great city - if it looks after people on foot and on bikes.
New Zealand Recreation Conference
For those of you who walk for recreation as well as for everyday transport, you might be interested in attending the New Zealand Recreation Association Conference in October.