06/25/2026
A new paper co-authored by Georgia Tech planning students has some cool data about the way that good community design promotes walking.
The authors studied several aspects of neighborhoods and found that one of the most positive influences on pedestrian activity is street-to-building ratio.
When the ratio between street width and building height creates a cozy and comfortable outdoor 'room', it makes people want to walk to places in their neighborhood instead of hopping in a car. When the ratio isn't comfortable, people tend to drive.
As an example of a bad street-to-building ratio -- imagine a place where small, one-story buildings line a massive 60-foot road. This is a street that feels too open and car-oriented, which deters walking. The environment will seem too barren and exposed to a pedestrian.
Meanwhile, a street with a sense of enclosure -- where the road-width is more narrow and buildings are taller -- can make a pedestrian feel welcome, even providing shade during the summer and windbreakers during the winter.
A comfortably enclosed space is ideal for walking.
From the paper:
"Our results show that higher building-to-street ratios substantially decrease the likelihood of driving and traveling beyond the 15-minute walkshed. Conceptually, visual enclosure reflects higher-order walking needs related to safety and comfort, as vertical elements frame the street space and create the perception of an outdoor room."
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210670726004804
Authors:
Seung Jae Lieu , Subhrajit Guhathakurta
Title:
Why do residents still drive and travel beyond high-accessibility neighborhoods? Examining the challenges to the 15-minute city concept.
