Good for business: the benefits of making streets more walking and - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Good for business: the benefits of making streets more walking and cycling friendly Rodney Tolley Conference Director, WALK21 and Honorary Research Fellow, Staffordshire University, UK Presented at the Town of Bassendean, April 3rd 2019
Conference Director, WALK21 and Honorary Research Fellow, Staffordshire University, UK
Presented at the Town of Bassendean, April 3rd 2019
n Benefits of walking n Is walking good for main street business? n The economic case for walking in main streets n Action to reclaim main streets
n Community engagement: tactical urbanism and
n Tips from a successful Mayor on how to win space
n Supports inclusive mobility n Encourages community cohesion n Increases personal security n Provides freedom for children n Underpins public transport n Supports more road safety for all users n Health arguments:
n Personal n Environmental n Economic
n Premise: the town centre as the focal point of
n Retailers everywhere are under great pressure
n Struggling to attract and retain footfall n Out of town shopping n Emergence of the digital economy
n Town centres too: it is the identity of urban
n So much more than shopping
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Cafes, restaurants, pubs, galleries, museums, cinemas, parks, hairdressers, doctors and dentists, libraries, banks, solicitors, estate agents…..
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Social factor – where local people meet friends and join in community activities
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A setting for shared experiences: a focal point of local identity, community pride, and common heritage and values
n Main Streets as the heart of our communities
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And the urban spaces and network of pedestrian walkways are the veins and arteries that keep that community heart beating
n Review for SA Heart Foundation, Nov 2011 n Does a walking- and cycle-friendly main street
n Direct economic benefits? n The attraction of new tenants/businesses? n Property values?
Weekly spend in London’s town centres by access mode
£64 £46 £63 £56 £91 £0 £10 £20 £30 £40 £50 £60 £70 £80 £90 £100 Car Train/Tube Bus Cycle Walk
Frequency of visits to London’s town centres by access mode
50% 15% 12% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 5+ days per week 3-4 days per week 2 days per week
50% of people walking to town centres did so 5 or more days per week… walkers contribute disproportionately to the vibrancy of the town centre
Car Train/tube Bus Walk Cycle
People walking to town centres spend on average £91 per week
n Drive to shops
n Walk to shops
n Most important issues?
n Cleaning/maintenance n Parking
n 33% n 36%
n Cleaning/maintenance n Pedestrian access and
safety (Parking was 7th out of 9 issues for High Street shoppers)
“Business respondents underestimate the importance of walking and public transport and their emphasis on car based travel is at odds with the reality of their customers’ actual transport choices”
Yen, Burke et al: Do restaurants need more parking? Australian Transport Research Forum, 2015
restaurant all contribute significantly more to trade than the business owners and managers realise.”
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What makes a town centre a place they want to visit and spend time in?
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‘Car accessibility and parking’ not even in the top 10 out of 50 attributes
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Only 27% of NSW respondents selected this attribute as important
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‘Walking, cycling or public transport options’ were more valued by all age cohorts
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“The perception that car accessibility and parking is a burning issue for town centre users is exactly that, a perception. Making a centre more accessible by car, actually reduces its attraction for people”
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“It is time to respect our community’s values and prioritise what makes town centres places people want to visit and spend time in”
Authors: Kylie Legge & Steven Burgess
n Many potential disutilities
n Barriers: roads, cars, fences n Danger, pollution, noise n Parking lots force people to
walk further
n “Negative impact of drive-
Sustrans 2006
n Absence of data on walking perpetuates myths: there is
n Space taken by cars amplifies their importance n Much lower turnover of spaces than believed n ‘Passing trade’ much less important than claimed n Sadly, ease of parking for shop owners
n Two hour shopping parking in Toowoomba – at 8.15 a.m.
n City wanted more
n Objections from retailers n City gave retailers money
n 57% of expenditure is
‘walked’ to the centre, 16% cycled/bussed
n Only 26% of total
expenditure driven to the centre
n So retailers asked for
n “Replacing car parking
n Walk-in spend for Main Streets is ALWAYS bigger
n More walking increases:
n Business and the local economy
n Space for people is more important than car parking n Local businesses benefit most from:
n Reducing traffic speeds and widening footpaths n Making the street more attractive for people to spend time – and
therefore money
n Since 2011? Retail:
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Case studies support and extend evidence
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All over the world, time after time after time
n How do you make the centre busier?
n Get more people there? More difficult - access issues, parking,
marketing, etc
n Get the existing users to stay longer? Make the street ‘sticky’ n Attract walking shoppers: they are more likely to be accompanied
(family/friends)
n By being there, they make the street more attractive for
n “What attracts people most, it would appear, is other people
(Holly Whyte)
n So they slow down, linger and dwell n …and spend more money
n Streets that are a challenge to get through, not Teflon
n Enticing opportunities to stop, smile, join in
n Interesting and active shops and windows n Lively patios for people-watching n Lots of casual seating and informal food n The right combination of sun, shade, wind
protection, water
n Things to engage with and look at, such as public art n People!
Brent Toderian, 2014
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Spillover – open store frontages; attractive outdoor seating areas
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Shared and public spaces to play, to sit, to work
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Traffic speed restrictions to offer a more tranquil social environment
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Pop-ups - stalls, stands and markets
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Culture - busking, performance, cultural celebrations, festivals and events
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Evening/night economy - night markets, concerts and street performances
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“Meanwhile use” of vacant units: artistic displays, community groups
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Mixed use of libraries and community halls as an indoor extension of public space
for community gatherings - music recitals, book clubs, presentations
n Small design changes – resting places, lighting, planting, surface
treatments, both within town centres and along the route to them
n Reduce clutter - signs, posts, bollards, railings, and advertising boards n Streetscene issues – for example waste, graffiti, flyposting, and anti-
social behaviour – can be naturally reduced by clever design
n More structural re-design, such as shared space designs to promote
cooperative use between walkers and motorists
n Reassess parking provision for cars and bicycles
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Demonstration projects
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Show how good it can be
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Raise capacity
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Alleviate anxiety about change
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Lighter, quicker, cheaper approaches
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Short term action, long term change
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Hack, Tinker, Analyse, Design
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“Perfect is the enemy of done”
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Thousands of interventions across the world
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Pop-up food, events, parties etc
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Parklets, chair bombing
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Guerilla wayfinding
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Intersection redesign, sneckdowns, etc etc
n Parklets attracted up to 150 users per day in
n Parklets attracted many people who lingered
n Created ‘Places’ where none existed before
Measuring the Impact on Sidewalk Vitality and Neighborhood Businesses, City District, Philadelphia, 2015 www.universitycity.org/sites/default/files/documents/The%20Case%20for%20Parklets
n Philadelphia: demographic/community issues
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Users overwhelmingly young
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Strong female presence – safety
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Social spaces: eating and talking were by far the most common behaviours
n Bottom line
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Sales up by an average of 20%
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A new parklet is likely to pay for itself after just 1-2 seasons
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Success a function of careful locational choices
n Adelaide parklet programme review, 2015
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Work best where foot traffic is already high
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Success of the 5 parklets sparked strong demand from the business community
n There is symbiosis between quality of retail and
n So audit the street from a walker’s point of view,
n Assess walking and cycling access routes to the
n Make recommendations to Council for
Celia Wade-Brown, Wellington NZ (2010-16)
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Strategies, plans and budgets are necessary but not sufficient
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Quirky wins more than worthy
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Local wins more than “international best practice“
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Vocal support is essential – artists, retailers, residents, blind citizens, developers, advocates
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Small things can make a big difference
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Decide and DO it fast
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Every project is different
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Be persistent!
With thanks to Celia Wade-Brown