Cities of the World - The sidewalk (Part 6)

First, we argued that for thousands of years, streets were designed for people.  And they had wide avenues in the past where not a single “car” passed, much more, muscled in as the king of the road.  Streets existed so that people can walk from place to place and interact with one another.  In this definition, streets are no different from parks.  The latter was only bigger and wider and served as a venue where people gather for whatever social purpose.  Streets were rather for everyday life.

Then, the automobile, a.k.a., the car, emerged in the early part of the previous century.  Less than a hundred years old, it now serves as the main transport vehicle in almost all cities of the world.  More trips are made using cars than any other mode of transport.  Streets are becoming less and less places for human interaction but became roads - which main reason for existence is to carry cars.  And they are becoming “the main” urban problem of the world today.  With people spending more than 10% of their time on the road each day (if you're lucky), cities now has to contend on how to solve traffic congestion problems.

Parks are a disappearing breed, though artificial ones are usually inserted in huge humongous malls.  The only other urban area left reminiscent of the social function of streets and parks is the sidewalk.  Basically, sidewalks are traditionally paths beside roads where people walk from place to place without riding a car.  The very essence of walking denotes that the purpose of the walk is not far, that's why we have such a term as “walking distance.”  It maybe a few hundred meters or so, but certainly not measured in kilometers unless you are really forced to.  Walking is not for home to work trips … unless you walk just a few meters away, which is quite rare in a busy metropolis.

But walking is a favorite mode of transport in small cities and communities.  It's very much similar to using a bike and are often seen as synonymous as far as transport is concerned.  You can walk or ride a bike in buying bread at the bakery in the corner.  In a small city in Europe, or even in the Philippines, you can walk or bike to watch a movie at the poblacion.  You can practically walk or bike to whatever human activity you must do in the course of your daily life.  But it's around a certain radius around your home.

Beyond that, sidewalks serve other community purposes such as “sidewalk cafes,” and sidewalk vending.  The latter has a bad connotation in the Philippines simply because it competes with pedestrians for space.  But if you have enough, as in other places in the world, it can be a pleasant experience.  In fact, many cities in the world have closed certain streets and made them pedestrian areas.  Curitiba spearheaded that move, led by its former mayor, Jaime Lerner, not without an initial outburst from angry commuters and businessmen.  But in Singapore or Sydney, and countless others around the world, purely pedestrian streets are in increasing numbers.  Which is actually going back to the original function of streets.

We have to draw the line, however, because sometimes people become overwhelmed with a novel idea that they insist on it without looking at the diverse functions.  You simply can't insist to change one lane of EDSA, or in our case, Osmeña Blvd., and turn it into a pedestrian sidewalk or a bicycle lane.  It's for a different use or function.  The transport mobility needs of city folks are still real and have to be addressed, same as the livability aspect of urban life.  Both can be designed without necessarily restricting one in favor of another.  That's why it's necessary to understand urban functions.  We need both streets and roads, if we are to make our cities more livable.  And of course, sidewalks, a close cousin of parks.