A national epidemic
of pedestrian deaths
We’re walking more often, for fun and to get to places in our neighborhood. We turn to WalkScore when figuring out where to live and our most walkable places often are among the most economically vibrant in the country. Hundreds of cities have adopted Complete Streets policies to ensure walking is in the forefront of our decisions regarding street design. Public health officials from the Office of the Surgeon General to the local doctor’s office are encouraging us to get out for a walk for physical activity and to combat chronic disease.
But we are still dealing with a legacy of roadways that fail to account for the safety of people on foot. In the decade from 2003 through 2012, more than 47,000 people died while walking on our streets. That is 16 times the number of people who died in natural disasters during in the same ten years, but without the corresponding level of urgency.
In 2012, pedestrians accounted for nearly 15 percent of all traffic deaths, up 6 percent from 2011 and representing a five-year high. Read more: A national epidemic of pedestrian deaths | Smart Growth America
CEO Dori Segal of First Capital Realty (FRC) has announced $1 Billion in investments over the next five years in major Canadian urban centres, that is to say Quebec City, the Greater Montreal Area, Ottawa/Gatineau, the Greater Toronto Area & Southwestern Ontario (London), Edmonton, Calgary, and the Greater Vancouver Area. The company focuses on the (re)development of shopping centres and projects with a large retail component, as 38.9% of their income coming from rents is from supermarkets, liquor and drugstores, banks and other financial institutions, spread-out across the country in 163 properties representing a surface of 24.6 million square feet. Read more: First Capital Realty to Invest $1 Billion Over the Next 5 Years | Urban Toronto
