How do planners impact walkability when compared to designers?
Hello all!
I'm an undergrad public policy student hoping to go into planning, and walkability seems to be a hot topic right now. I'm curious as to how planners approach this -- many of the choices that lead to better walkability (building at the human scale, designing streets that reduce driving speeds or integrate multiple uses, implementing bike-friendly infrastructure) seem to be within the domain of urban designers rather than planners. Planning tools like reducing or abolishing parking minimums and encouraging more mixed-use development seem great as well and are of course important, but they seem to encourage walking rather than physically facilitating it.
So, as planners, how do you approach walkability? What mechanisms do you have to facilitate walking? Do you interact with the design choices mentioned above more than I realize?
Thanks!