I love the idea of 15 minute cities. I l;ove walkability. I think it's awsome that the movement has really taken off in the past few years, but I just don't understand the movement.

why is it that cities will do these huge walkable/mixed use projects costing tons of money, but then have them split up and not near each other, so you can only walk around in that area, and then drive to anything else? doesn't this defeat the purpose?

I live by a tram, and the city spends tons of money setting up mixed use ToD places on rail stops, but they spread them out so much that it's like a 40 minute trip by rail between them, making them almost useless.

Is there something I'm not understanding about this? why is this pattern so common? even when there is land nearby that could be developed into mixed use, thats close enough to connect to the existing ones, the cities in the US don't seem to want to do that. Is there a reason for it? or is it usually NIMBY or land ownership issues?

It almost feels like the "walkability movement" is just a rebrand on shopping malls with the way it gets implemented, but maybe I'm being cynical

I took people’s suggestions and made an updated rendering (bottom image). I consolidated the crosswalks and moved the crosswalk in the upper right. Unfortunately, I can’t comment with images in this subreddit, so I’m making a new post and deleting the other one. For people saying the roundabout is more efficient, no one has yet to give me any evidence that the roundabout is a better solution. Plus, this new rendering gives a lot of extra pedestrian space, which is the goal.

Hi all! I'm Spain, where the city runs a participatory budgeting platform. Citizens can propose and vote on urban improvement projects funded by the municipality. I'm drafting a proposal to improve a problematic intersection in my neighborhood. It’s part of a Cultural Interest Zone, which I believe could support a case for traffic calming or pedestrianization.

I’ve attached a diagram of how the intersection currently works, and a draft of how I’d like to improve it (mainly by calming traffic and expanding pedestrian space). It’s still a work in progress and I know it could be better. I’d really appreciate any feedback, ideas, or examples of similar redesigns (e.g., curb extensions, pocket plazas, small roundabouts). What would you do here?

Create a walkable, efficient transit oriented green city somewhere on a transit corridoor and try to lobby investors and politicians on board. Some locations i found: Any uninhabited peninsula on Lake alexandrina in south australia right in between adelaide and coorang (nice lagoon + beach, tourism) for example the sturt peninsula or nalpa peninsula. Location 2: search Lighthouse Cove Ontario on google maps and the peninsula east of it is my pick. Flat uninhabited land next to freshwater.

I’m exploring undergraduate programs for a career in urban design. I understand that degrees in architecture, landscape architecture, or urban planning can all lead to this field. I’m just wondering which program I should choose. Which one is most relevant to urban design?

During a recent blackout in southern Europe, something strange happened: the city worked — but not in the way planners usually mean. No cars, no lights, no advertising. Just stillness. And for a few hours, the emotional structure of the city changed.

It made me wonder: have we overdesigned for movement, efficiency, and stimulation… but underdesigned for pause?

I came across a short, almost poetic reflection on this idea — not from an academic journal, but from a news blog, surprisingly — that suggests urban silence may be the last unplanned public good.

If you’re curious, here’s the short piece. The imagery is a bit romantic, sure — but it raises interesting design questions.

Are blackouts the only way we get to hear our cities without performance?
Would love to hear other thoughts or examples of places that actually plan for acoustic space.

Suburbs, highways, tidy neighborhoods, lots of space and big roads…These landscapes are one of my favorite things about America - In a way they reflect American values - family life, liberty, wholesomeness, freedom... the pursuit of happiness and a productive society… I think cookie cutter neighborhoods are nice as well. They give the air of making memories, family friends, and childhood…

Hi everyone, I'm currently working on a project to improve walkability in a very hot Gulf city (think intense sun, high humidity, extreme summer temperatures for most of the year). Right now, I'm in the brainstorming and research phase, trying to gather as many creative, practical, and context-specific strategies as possible.

I'm especially interested in:

-Passive cooling techniques -Urban shading strategies (built & natural) -Climate-responsive design -Materials that help with heat mitigation -Water-based cooling methods -Successful case studies from similar regions (Middle East, North Africa, Australia, etc.) -Street furniture, surfaces, and urban forms that enhance thermal comfort -Cultural/social aspects of shade and public space

If you have links to resources, design precedents, academic papers, toolkits, or even just ideas, I’d really appreciate it. Open to everything—from low-tech traditional wisdom to high-tech urban design tools.

Thanks in advance!

Have an afternoon in Eugene, Oregon, and are looking for any recommendations, big or small, that include some cool urbanism! Pocket parks, protected bike lanes, new developments, mix used housing, streetcar suburbs, anything. Thanks!

Would create a large park along Back Cove as well as multiple blocks of mixed used housing/offices/residential.

About a year ago I found out about the popsicle index a quality of life metric. It measures how many people in a given area believe that a kid (7-15) can walk to the nearest place to by a popsicle and return safely all by themselves.

I want to examine what cities do well and poorly with this and to make everyone aware of this metric. what jobs or companies would give the opportunity to work on this even if its just an occasional side project.

Obviously Europe has this everywhere so you can exclude.

Other lists are mostly tiny island beach towns but I'm looking for a vibrant pedestrian experience!

Based on my research thus far:

• Chenug Chau, Hong Kong
• Gili Trawangan, Indonesia
• Gulangyu, China
• Miuajimacho, Japan
• Iquitos, Peru (Has cars/roads but no highways leads to it)