The pedestrian pound (3rd edition)

Hopkinson, Lisa; Hiblin, Beth; Wedderburn, Martin; Chatterjee, Kiron; Cairns, Sally; Frearson, Michael

Abstract

Making our outdoor public spaces more accessible, attractive, comfortable and safe for people walking or wheeling can help to increase pedestrian footfall and revitalise high streets, district, town and city centres. This report updates the evidence from the previous Pedestrian Pound report (Living Streets, 2018) on the benefits of investing in the public realm and the positive impacts that more people walking and wheeling can have on their local high streets. The Pedestrian Pound 3rd edition outlines the challenges facing our high streets, including the rise of online shopping, the cost of living crisis and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. British high streets and town centre shops have suffered, with a record number of retail failures in 2022 and a vacancy rate of nearly one in seven by the end of 2023. Against this backdrop, Living Streets’ report centres on three key themes that highlight the transformative power of walkable environments: economy, community and health.

• Report Type: Research Report
• Publication Date: Nov 14, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jan 10, 2025
• Pages: 1-183
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/13607910
• Publisher URL: https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/policy-reports-and-research/pedestrian-pound/
• Additional Information: Main report accompanied by supplementary documents: evaluation briefing, separate country annexes, case studies standalone document.