Pedestrian Malls Background

A pedestrian mall is a street or plaza reserved for pedestrians and in which some or all automobile traffic may be prohibited. Traffic may be prohibited at all times in full malls, or only certain hours of the days in semi-malls. They are typically located in central city business areas and are often served by public transit. Though many malls are relatively quiet, tree-lined public walks and promenades, many others are vibrant town squares at the center of a city's commercial district, such as Pike Place Market in Seattle. Pedestrian malls have their roots in post-World War II Western Europe where they were developed in response to increasing urbanization and traffic. Since their inception, pedestrian malls have proliferated and are now found in many cities around the world.

Pedestrian malls concern the health, safety, and rights of people walking. One of every six traffic-related fatalities in King County involves a person walking, and while active strategies such as education and law enforcement are crucial, strategies that physically modify the environment are also important to radically reduce or eliminate exposure to the hazards of traffic conflict. Auto-free zones like pedestrian malls represent a viable tool in developing a strategy to protect people as they travel. Of the reported pedestrian fatalities in King County, fifty percent were elderly and thirty-three percent were children. As such, advocating for pedestrian rights and improvements to the built environment will provide better protection of vulnerable members of society.

Feet First supports pedestrian malls as a tool in transit oriented development (TOD) that has the potential to increase the social and physical well-being for all people by reducing traffic conflict. Learning from the setbacks that earlier pedestrian malls faced, Feet First provides several recommendations for future pedestrian malls. Pedestrian malls should be near other developed areas that are major transportation nodes and destinations in order to maximize the usage of the area and return on investment for local businesses. To maintain pedestrian mall spaces there must be organized public and private support. A clear articulation of responsibility and ownership among stakeholders is key. It is also important to implement pedestrian malls in conjunction with other TOD tools and strategies. Good access to parking and public transportation is essential, as is access for bicycles.