Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · 13h

Have you been taking my courses on @planetizen?
Try it, you'll like it!
Walkable City 6, The Interesting Walk just dropped today:
courses.planetizen.com/courses/the-...

Walkable City 6: The Interesting Walk

Nothing interests people more than other people. Humans will avoid walks that do not provide a sense of human habitation, human effort, and human scale. An interesting walk comes from urban design tha...

courses.planetizen.com

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · 26d

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS when you run for mayor on a "pull out the bike lanes" platform in Boston.

Yay @wutrain !

@bostonbikeunion
@MassBike
@WalkMass

apnews.com/article/elec...

Josh Kraft, son of billionaire Patriots owner, drops out of Boston mayor’s race against Michelle Wu

Son of billionaire Patriots owner Josh Kraft announced Thursday that he is dropping out Boston’s mayoral election, in which he was set to battle incumbent Michelle Wu in November.

apnews.com

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · 28d

commonedge.org/jeff-specks-...

Justin Shubow’s Insane Push for a State Sanctioned Architectural Style

Jeff Speck's response to the recently signed executive order mandating traditional architecture for federal buildings.

commonedge.org

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · 29d

Rule 101: Dream Big

Cities like NYC & Chicago didn’t just fix problems—they dreamed big. Charleston’s mayor, Joseph Riley’s message was "No one recalls a balanced budget—build a park instead.” His parks now host 5M+ visitors yearly.

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · 29d

Yes, UPS gets it right. Thank you for not blocking the bike lane!

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Sep 7

Rule 100: Don't Give Up on Sprawl

Instead of trying to end sprawl, focus on improving it for the people there by reviving town centers, reusing empty malls, & building mixed-use neighborhoods. This is called “Retrofitting Suburbia."

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Sep 6

Rule 99: Start Code Reform Now

Form-based codes helps walkability by focusing on how spaces look & feel, not just what they’re used for. Start w/a 1 page zoning overlay to guide better development while planning long-term reforms.

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Sep 6

91: Save Those Buildings

Preservation isn’t only about nostalgia, it also has practical benefits!
- Historic districts thrive in recession & attract small businesses
- It’s greener & less wasteful
- They support diversity & community

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Sep 6

Rule 65: Provide Angle Parking Where Warranted

Angled parking fits more cars without widening streets & calms traffic by requiring careful backing-in. Tucson switched to rear-angle parking & cut crashes from 1/week to 0 over 4 years.

Walkable City Rules: www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Sep 5

Rule 98: Do Some Tactical Urbanism

Start w/looking for temporary ways to improve your area, & call it a pilot project. Use "Walk [Your City]", which offers tools 4 guerilla wayfinding signs & ask to do tests instead of costly studies.

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Sep 4

Rule 97: Rebuild... or Restripe?

In 2012 Cedar Rapids planned a $3M rebuild for 5 blocks, instead they repainted 30 blocks for the same price.
Results: 78%↓ pedestrian crashes, 57 new businesses, 800 homes, 2k jobs & $282M growth

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Sep 4

Rule 96: A Network of Walkability

Show which streets are best for walking, streets fall into 3 groups:
Priority: Busy but unsafe, fix first
Primary: Decent now, upgrade next
Secondary: Low need now

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Sep 2

Rule 95: Do a Frontage Quality Assessment & Locate Anchors

See where people want to walk & where they need to go.
Frontage Quality: lively streets, where they want to walk
Anchors: where they need to walk (key destinations ex: shops).

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Sep 1

Rule 94: Do a Walkability Study
A walkability study helps communities make areas safer and easier for walking and biking by focusing on 4 types of walks:

- the useful walk
- the safe walk
- the comfortable walk
- the interesting walk

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Sep 1

Rule 93: Direct Your Public Art budget to Blank Walls

Public art is often wasted on plaza sculptures. Cities should use art budgets for murals on blank walls, which, like trees, make streets more pleasant and welcoming.

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Aug 31

Rule 92: Hide the Parking Structures

Exposed parking decks drain street life & make walking dull. It only takes 20 ft of building to hide 200 ft of parking. Hide parking structures behind buildings; design garages for future reuse.

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Aug 29

Phillips for the win. Still awesome after all these years.

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Aug 29

Who knows where I am?

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Aug 28

Rule 90: Break Up Big Buildings

Big buildings can overwhelm a street, but “demise lines” breaks the facade conceptually into smaller units, helping the large buildings look like a collection of smaller structures built independently.

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Aug 27

Rule 89: Limit Repetition

Big projects feel more human when split into smaller, unique buildings by different architects. Variety boosts walkability, beauty, & real estate value—plus 1 mistake affects 1 building not the whole project.

Walkable City Rules: www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Aug 26

Rule 88: Make Sticky Edges

Gehl’s Cities for People: “sticky edges”—buildings that make people linger—bring streets alive; blank walls repel. Hence, Melbourne mandates 60% openings for shops, 25% for homes, & a window/door every 10’.

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Aug 25

Rule 87: Don’t Let Terrorists Design Your City

NYC spends $50M on terror bollards—but far less on crashes. Data shows you’re 568x likelier to die in a crash than terror—yet terror gets far more funding per victim.

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Aug 24

Rule 86: Use Lighting to Support Urbanism

Lighting shapes space—auto-centric models use tall bright poles; urban ones emphasize attraction & character. Drop coverage rules—use low-energy, mid-height curb lights, creative flair & urban context.

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Aug 23

Rule 85: Build Vancouver Urbanism

Vancouver, created a unique walkable, mixed-use downtown without freeways after a 1960s revolt. Limit tall buildings to the Vancouver model: broad, block-filling bases below towers w/small footprints.

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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Jeff Speck @jeffspeck.bsky.social · Aug 22

Rule 84: Never Allow Front Parking

Replace with side/rear lots instead. Front parking hurts walkability by forcing people to cross big lots, reduces safety w/curb cuts, looks ugly & deters walkers & energy from businesses & streets.

Walkable City Rules www.amazon.com/Walkable-Cit...

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