We talk a lot about walkability here on DM and that’s a good thing. But one thing I’ve noticed is that we tend to focus predominantly on the mechanics — is it physically possible and reasonably safe to walk from one place to another?

Don’t get me wrong. The proper infrastructure — sidewalks, crosswalks, signalization — is important, but it’s a mistake to think it’s enough to compel meaningful changes in people’s lifestyles. That’s the kind of thinking that leads one to suggest that DeKalb Industrial Blvd. has, now that they’ve laid sidewalks, become some sort of pedestrian paradise.

It hasn’t.

What it has become is a marginally safer environment for pedestrians without choices. And that’s not the same thing. Because what really defines walkability is its ability to compete as a viable mode of transportation.

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