Investing in Walking in African cities: Moving beyond Policy: A policy brief for decision makers
This brief describe ways in which walking can be more effectively valued and embedded into policy and commitment at local and national levels
Abstract
This Brief takes as its starting point that walking in African cities is currently inadequately understood and planned for, invested in, and supported through policy and other measures
Only 19 out of 54 African countries have developed walking (usually referred to as NMT, or Non-Motorised Transport) policies and plans in recent years, whether as singular documents or part of broader transport plans (UN Environment, 2021). Only two countries in Africa have country-specific pedestrian infrastructure guidelines (Uganda and South Africa). Yet given the scale of walking as a majority mode of travel in cities in Africa and the extent of its risk for pedestrians in terms of road crashes and fatalities (along with its importance in mitigating obesity, poor air quality, climate change, and road congestion), walking is a mode that will gain rather than lose in importance as African cities become more congested and struggle to meet mobility needs.
The purpose of the Brief is therefore to describe ways in which walking can be more effectively valued and embedded into policy and commitment at local and national levels. It is based on a full report titled ‘Our Walking is Our Asset: Exploring the way in which walking is valued in pedestrian practice and policy in African cities’ (Benton, Jennings and Walker, 2021).
This is an output of the High Volume Transport Applied Research Programme
Citation
Walk21 Foundation (2021) Investing in Walking in African cities: Moving beyond Policy: A policy brief for decision makers
Link
Investing in Walking in African cities: Moving beyond Policy: A policy brief for decision makers