Pathways and artifacts: neighborhood design for physical activity

Both informal observation and systematic studies reveal that, especially among car-owning households, pedestrian travel occurs less for utilitarian purposes such as shopping, and more as therapeutic physical activity, meant for health and recreation. In response, this study proposes a new model for residential neighborhood design. Wide ‘pathways’, many resembling medians in residential thoroughfares, link streets, neighborhoods and open space in networks rich with recreational opportunities, while maintaining the advantages of accessibility and orientation that grid patterns provide. ‘Artifacts’ in the landscape lend sensory and experiential interest to a walker’s or jogger’s encounter with the environment. Taken together, pathways and artifacts provide pedestrians with more opportunities for engaging with the built and natural environments and thereby generate the comings and goings that make for vital neighborhoods.