Why Walkable Cities are a Climate Solution
I FINALLY live in a walkable community…I’ve moved 8 times in my adult life. That goes to show you how hard it is to find one. I’ve lived in Ohio, Texas, Japan, Nevada, Washington, Ohio again, Minnesota, and California. It took a move to Northern California for Dan’s job for us to find a dinky little coastal town that’s actually walkable and bikeable. We biked a bit in Spokane and Vegas, but nothing has compared to this.
The inspiration for this post came right as we moved into our new apartment. Immediately our truck had to go to the shop for 2 weeks to get worked on so we had no choice but to become car-free. But, I’m so glad that happened. We now only really use our car once a week for a grocery run but we plan on biking that longer distance in the spring when it warms up and we get some bike saddle bags to transport the goods.
But, for now, we’re happy being car-lite. We walk to swing dancing, to the hardware store, to the farmers market, to the bulk store, to dinner, to the movies, to the bookstore, and so much more. I’m excited that I will be able to walk to school as classes start this spring and Dan bikes the longer distance to work. There have been some clear benefits that we have noticed, so let’s go over some of the environmental, economic, and health benefits of walkable cities and also why the US is so car-centric.
The environmental benefits of walkable communities
Personal Anecdotes
What I’ve witnessed with my own eyes should be enough evidence! But, we will cover the science in a moment. In walkable communities, the air is cleaner due to fewer cars driving and idling. I also take note of my bank account, too. The less gas I use thanks to walking and biking, the less gas I have to pay for.
I also notice the increase in green space. I don’t notice this quite so much in my current small town, but I noticed this a lot when we biked around Minneapolis for a day in Spring 2024. There were more trees, ponds, plants, animals, and general green spaces that also lowered temperatures and air pollution.
What does science have to say about it?
Well, in the US, there are over 290 million cars on the road and transportation accounts for most of our greenhouse gases. This leads to air pollution, water pollution, and, of course, a rise in global temperatures. A very interesting comparison between Chicago, IL and Houston, TX from The Climate Reality Project states, “Despite having about the same number of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops, a Chicagoan can walk to an average of five of those places within five minutes, while a Houston resident will find 0.5 dining options on the same walk. Unsurprisingly related, average gasoline consumption per capita is about 200 gallons higher in Houston compared to Chicago.”
Here is a quick list of benefits from the Congress for the New Urbanism:
Fewer carbon emissions, up to 4 tons per walkable community per year.
Improves microclimates and biodiversity. Sidewalks and walkable areas allow for more plants to grow as opposed to heat-trapping asphalt.
Minimizing land usage. Cars need a lot more space than humans sans cars which allows, again, for more plants and animals to thrive.
Less air pollution. They say that “On a single car-free day in 2015, Paris cut smog by 40 percent in parts of the city. When walkable environments incorporate more trees and vegetation, they will inherently clean the air—17 trees can absorb enough CO2 annually to offset 26,000 miles of driving.”
Improves water quality. Cars are gross. They leak oils, the tires are filthy, the require cleaning, and so forth. This all gets into our local water systems.
Reduces noise pollution. You probably don’t think of sound as pollution, but it is! It affects animal habitats and migration patterns and even affects how humans sleep and behave.
The economic benefits of walkable communities
Personal Anecdotes
There are so many shops downtown that I walk by all the time. I would not have noticed them had I driven past. These small businesses sell specialty items such as an herbal store, a natural fibers store, a local craft store, a record store, several community-run thrift shops, and many cafes and restaurants. Now I have notes of where each of these businesses are and keep them in mind to cover my needs instead of driving farther distances to shop at larger, corporate stores.
Of course, walking and biking is great for myself financially, as well. I like to look at it like this: the more money I save by not having to fill the gas tank, the more money I have to spend on these small businesses that usually cost a little bit more than chain stores. You can learn more in this video about why shopping small is so much better for the planet. And, you also save money by not having to maintain your car as often and may even be able to cut your car out completely and save on the car payment and insurance, too!
What does science have to say about it?
Of course, this is great for the economy at large, but another large-scale economy factor is increasing home values. A study that The Climate Reality Project cites “found that each additional Walk Score point was associated with an increase of between $500 and $3,000 in home values.” Not only this but walkability is proven to be good for businesses, too. According to the World Economic Forum, “only 1.2% of the land mass of the largest 35 metropolitan areas in the US are walkable urban areas but this fraction of land generates 20% of US GDP.” That’s wild! And it proves that we need more walkable cities not only to benefit humans, but to benefit the economy as well which I know the government would love to see.
Another economic factor we may not think about is all of the infrastructure that is needed for cars: parking lots, parking garages, parking meters, roads, turn lanes, stop signs, traffic lights, bridges, and so much more. The less we use these things, the less they need to be maintained and the more taxpayer money that is saved. We could then use this money for other things such as fighting climate change, providing housing, and universal healthcare.
The health benefits of walkable communities
Personal Anecdotes
Funnily enough, I started my walking journey when I lived in rural Minnesota in summer 2024. We walked Denahi longer distances and we exclusively walked to the visitor center we worked at in Voyageurs National Park. The first time we made the trek to work, I was so out of breath from one tiny hill. By the end of the summer, not only was I no longer out of breath walking hills, but I also increased my speed. Other physical benefits I have found walking there and now walking in a truly walkable community in Northern California are:
More muscular
Less back pain due to stronger muscles and less sitting down
Back to a healthier weight
Makes my other activities like swing dancing, rock climbing, and hiking easier on my joints, muscles, and lungs
And this is just physical health! I also notice that I am happier when I take more walks and I feel much more connected to nature when I get outside and observe it with all 5 senses.
Not only this, but walkable communities are safer! The biggest threats to pedestrians and bikers are cars. The fewer cars, the fewer accidents that happen. This also makes it safer for pets, children, and wildlife, too.
What does science have to say about it?
Have you ever wondered how people in European and Japanese cities are so much healthier than folks in American cities? Of course, other lifestyle factors come into play such as work, vacation, food, and so forth, but a huge factor is walking. Another study cited by The Climate Reality Project found that “rates of obesity and diabetes are lower in more walkable neighborhoods. In a separate study, people in New York County, the most compact city in the study, walked 80 minutes more each month and weighed an average of six pounds less than people living in Geauga County.”
A factor we tend to ignore in the health category is social health. Using cars gives us less opportunity to socialize and meet people. It can be lonely commuting alone! Using public transportation or walking allows you to get to know your neighbors and neighborhood better according to the National Library of Medicine.
According to the American Heart Association, walking more (for leisure or for transportation) decreases the risk of heart disease, lowers blood pressure, reduces cholesterol, and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. There are a plethora of health benefits from physical to mental to social!
Why the US is so car-centric
Well, we have to go back in time…
I made a full video on this a while back that you can check out here, but here’s the short story:
Yale Climate Connections found historically that the majority of Americans never wanted a car-dominant society. Rather, it was forced on us by Big Oil, the tire industry, car dealerships, and car manufacturers to sell more cars and care necessities like fuel. Go to any old US city: Boston, MA; Richmond, VA; Wilmington, DE; Chicago, IL; and more. Notice how walkable they are. Why? Their downtowns were developed before cars. Now, look at a city that was developed after the turn of the 20th century: Las Vegas, NV; Denver, CO; San Angelo, TX; LA, CA; and Phoenix, AZ to name a few. What do they all have in common? They’re extremely car-centric. Even cities like Las Vegas, their downtowns are hardly walkable…believe me, I lived there.
As this was happening, collectively we became a little too comfortable with cars. The same Yale article states how many people are anti-smoking in public places but only 4% of people interviewed were anti-cars in highly populated areas. Both produce air pollution, however. They call this “motornormativity.” We’re a little too comfortable with cars despite their risks to our lungs, the planet, our safety as pedestrians, and their costs.
Now, this was just the beginning. Why does car-centricity continue?
I have one word for you: zoning.
According to Ride Circuit, “Most American cities have minimum parking mandates codified in zoning laws, which in the past have led to the bulldozing of many American downtowns. This forces urban sprawl and makes cities hostile to pedestrians.” Why does this happen? The US uses what is called Euclidean Zoning which is “a type of zoning that only allows one kind of land use per zone.” This means that commercial areas are for commercial use only, industrial areas are for industry only, and parking areas are for parking only. This leads to the urban and suburban sprawls. I think about my “hometown” (really, the largest town in my county where we ran all of our errands) growing up. Upon entering the North end of town for groceries, this was very clearly the industrial part of town complete with a Walmart, Lowes, Kroger, fast food restaurant, and a few strip malls that rotated businesses. Not a home in sight. But this street is at least a mile long.
Which leads us to parking lots. Why are Walmart parking lots so huge, for example? I’ve never seen a gigantic parking lot at one of these gigantic stores fill up. Surely they don’t think that many people will be at their store at the same time. That’s correct. That is not why they’re so big. This is due to parking laws. City zoning laws enforce this. There are between 800 million and 2 billion parking spots in the US. Remember, there are only 290 million cars on the road at any given time. In LA, there is more land space for parking lots than there is for housing.
The sizes of our parking lots decreases walkability. Let’s bring it back to my hometown. This town is not huge, but very few people could walk to Walmart if they wanted to. It’s on the edge of this industrially-zoned strip and this strip is full of gigantic parking lots.
The US ended up here and Europe did not because of a few factors:
The US had more cars than Europe when cars were first popularized due to the assembly line production and they were made in our own country
US roads were immediately adapted for cars while European streets were not
Car taxes and gasoline prices are higher in Europe which disincentivizes driving
The US interstate system was revamped in the 1950s which I’m sure we all benefit from, but it was executed poorly. It was not designed as a high-speed road to connect large cities but it cut off parts of our cities and destroyed housing
The US government also subsidizes car infrastructure to incentivize driving
Many of our cities are not friendly toward pedestrians and bikers: no bike lanes, no sidewalks, no crosswalks, and so forth
And, of course, we cannot discount the play Big Oil has in this. They need to make money and they do that by lobbying against public transportation and bike lanes.
I could go on and on about this but I will leave you here. I hope this was educational and I hope that this inspires you to boycott your car and Big Oil as much as possible. Do it for your own health, your wallet, and for the planet all in one.
I understand how much of a privilege it is to give up your car and I would never ask someone to. So, do what you can. Even if it’s just one car-free day per week. It makes a difference!
As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)
Emma
