INTRODUCTIONIt’s on foot that you s

INTRODUCTION
It’s on foot that you see people’s faces and that you meet and experience them. That is how public socializing and community enjoyment in daily life can most easily occur. And it’s on foot that one can be most intimately involved with the urban environment: with stores, houses, the natural environment, and with people. (Jacobs, Allen 1993)
Pedestrian spaces are becoming increasingly rare nowadays. The explosive increase in vehicular traffic has relegated the pedestrian to subways and over bridges. A pedestrian is not taken into account in the planning and design of traffic and transportation systems with the importance imparted to vehicular modes of travel.
Pedestrian spaces have a long history. Most of the older towns in India as well as abroad, display a degree of respect towards the pedestrian which is higher than modern day cities. Indian cities have not yet reached the level of western cities in terms of vehicular volume, but they are growing very rapidly. With a major percentage of trips performed by walking, logic dictates that pedestrians deserve more respect in the overall urban scheme.
Various studies have demonstrated the benefits that could accrue to a city by the creation of proper pedestrian spaces. ( Shelley, Anne 1976)
As Jane Jacobs said “Streets and their sidewalks, the main public places of a city, are its most vital organs. Think of a city and what comes to mind? Its streets.” (Jacobs, Jane 1961)
Encouragement provided to walking creates a better awareness of a street or an area. People tend to become conscious of the character of a street, its buildings, their detailing and the small open spaces abutting the street. Walking is the ideal way by which a person can appreciate the urban environment. A person needs to walk leisurely, absorb the sights and sounds, experience the smells wafting through the breeze and jostle with fellow shoppers and pedestrians in crowded markets for space.
As Colin Buchanan points out: “Walking is also an integral part of many other matters, such as looking at shop windows, admiring the scene, or talking to people. In all, it does not seem to be far from the truth that the freedom with which a person can walk about and look around is a useful guide to the civilized quality of an urban area.” (Buchanan, C 1963)
Pedestrian networks encourage people to stand and talk to each other, to simply stand and observe any activity going on, to listen to street musicians, etc. Thus, the street becomes an extension of the home. Therefore, it is not just from the point of tourists or shoppers that pedestrian facilities should be looked at. The entire gamut of street life should be covered, from shopping corridors, parks, residential front gardens, squares for ceremonies, meeting points, parade grounds, spaces for street entertainment and much more.