The fate of common things is that they are taken for granted. This is true for pedestrians, walking and sojourning in public space. Consequently much relevant policy information is not (adequately) captured in literature. This thesis explores what pedestrians do, what their role is and what improvements therein are requisite. In this thesis a pedestrian is anyone on foot present in public space, both while moving about or standing stationary, including those who need walking aids, wheel chairs or other simple vehicles that are absolutely needed for their basic movement in public space. Four kinds of pedestrian activities are discerned: walking from A to B (main mode walking), walking to and from other modes (sub-mode walking), circulation (round trips), and sojourning in public space (standing stationary, waiting, playing, working etc.). In this thesis 'walking and sojourning in public space' is often abbreviated as W+S. The aim of the thesis The main aim of this thesis is to comprehensively cover, combine and advance what is known about pedestrians, walking and sojourning in public space and about effective and fair policies to sustain and improve conditions in this regard. The result is meant to become powerful information for policy making to improve pedestrian, walking and sojourning (W+S) conditions as a source of wealth and well-being. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting