Programs

​Charlotte WALKS

What is Charlotte WALKS?

Charlotte WALKS is the City's first comprehensive Pedestrian Plan. It brings together existing initiatives and identifies new strategies for meeting the pedestrian safety and walkability goals in Charlotte's Transportation Action Plan. Charlotte WALKS is a Council-adopted document that sets the work plan for the city’s efforts related to improving walkability. For two years, city staff spoke to over 1000 people to find out what walkability means to Charlotteans. Those conversations were translated into the action items in the Charlotte WALKS Pedestrian Plan. Those action items are based on three key themes.

Walkability

We are all pedestrians. Walkability is an issue affecting every Charlottean. Effective transportation is about more than moving cars, buses, and bikes. It's about moving people. Creating great places to walk is the foundation of a successful transportation system. ​

The greatest places in Charlotte tend to be our mo​st walkable places. These are places where people of all ages and abilities can enjoy a safe and pleasant walk to a variety of destinations. Charlotte City Council adopted the Charlotte WALKS plan in February 2017 with a vision; to be a city of streets and neighborhoods where people love to walk.​​​​

The Need for a Pedestrian Plan

Charlotte can often be a challenging place to walk. Like most Sun Belt cities, Charlotte experienced a growth boom in the decades after WWII. During that time, Charlotte's transportation and land-use policies were focused primarily on accommodating the automobile. It was all about moving many cars as quickly as possible. That combination of auto-oriented policies and an intense period of growth left a legacy of streets and neighborhoods designed primarily for cars and a subsequent overall lack of walkability. Over the past 15 years, Charlotte has taken some major steps to create more walkable streets. The evidence of that progress can be seen all over the city through investments in new sidewalks and safer street crossings. Despite improvements, the consensus of both Charlotteans and independent groups is that we've got a lot of work left to do on walkability. The Charlotte WALKS Pedestrian Plan will help us take the next steps.​​