The publications division of the multidisciplinary, international architecture and engineering and architecture firm, Arup, has released the report, Cities Alive: Towards a Walking World. The report highlights the significant social, economic, environmental, and political benefits of walking.  Bringing together multidisciplinary expertise from the full range of Arup's practice, the report highlights fifty different benefits of walking explored through sixteen distinct indicative themes.  The report also lists forty actions that municipal leaders can consider to inform walking policy, strategy, and design. These actions are informed by a catalogue of eighty international case studies to inspire action and further aid cities in identifying and evaluating opportunities for increasing and improving conditions for walking.

This report supports the theme developed in the "Walkable Communities" future, one of five Alternative Futures being explored as part of ON TO 2050.  (See last week's post summarizing the recent forum on Walkable Communities.)