Making the Case for Investment in the Walking Environment: A review of the evidence

This report sets out the arguments and evidence for investing in the walking environment.

Investments in the walking environment can take a number of forms. These investments can lead directly to higher walking levels and pedestrian numbers, and can also create better places for the users of the urban environment. Both increases in walking and area improvements have a wide range of benefits for ‘people’ and ‘place’.

These relationships are complex and sometimes difficult to measure precisely. However, there is now sufficient evidence from numerous sources to build a picture of the benefits of investment in the walking environment, and this evidence is presented in the report.

It is also important to know if investing in walking environments provides ‘value for money’. To address this, the report summarises cost-benefit analyses of different types of investment in the walking environment.

The report also presents several evaluated case studies of completed walking environment schemes from the UK and internationally.