A TikTok video by The Happy Urbanist (@jonjon.mp4) is striking a chord with fed-up pedestrians across the country.
The post, which has garnered over 1.5 million likes, shines a light on the dismal and dangerous walking conditions many Americans face daily.
In the video, the creator sets out on foot to a public park located a walkable distance from his home. However, his journey quickly becomes a harrowing obstacle course because of poor street design and lackluster urban planning.
@jonjon.mp4 Want to do something? Follow my substack for practical actions. THEHAPPYURBANIST.SUBSTACK.com Other videos: 1. Same walk to a different part of the park @The Happy Urbanist 2. Development patterns in america are unnatural @The Happy Urbanist 3. Architecture of loneliness @The Happy Urbanist #walkable #pedestrian #pedestriansafety #transit #carculture #safety ♬ original sound - The Happy Urbanist
"Despite living a walkable distance from a public pool, I want to show you how street and urban design make this unwalkable," he explains.
Along the way, he encounters a minefield of hazards: cars illegally parked too close to pedestrian walkways (a practice known as "daylighting"), speeding traffic, abruptly ending walkways, missing crosswalks, and a barren cityscape devoid of shade-providing trees.
The video paints a grim picture of the reality experienced by countless Americans who simply want to safely navigate their neighborhoods on foot. When basic amenities like pools, parks, and shops are cut off from residents by hostile streets, it doesn't just inconvenience people — it puts lives at risk.
"When you make the safe option inconvenient, you incentivize risky behavior," the TikToker points out. Indeed, faced with crumbling sidewalks and high-speed thoroughfares, many pedestrians are forced to choose between a dangerous trek or skipping the trip altogether.
Commenters flooded the video with messages of solidarity and frustration:
"This was SO unbelievably interesting! Learned so much! How do we get local politicians to care about this kind of stuff cuz they blatantly don't," one user lamented.
"I would give anything to live in a walkable city," another commiserated.
"I feel like EVERY 'walkable city' needs to include places to sit and REST too," a third chimed in. "I live in a big tourist and school town, but I rarely am ABLE to walk places because there's nowhere to safely rest."
Until city officials and planners prioritize foot traffic and vulnerable road users, unwalkable streets will remain a daily source of peril, stress, and indignity for millions. It's high time our leaders mustered the empathy and political willpower to make America's communities safer, greener, and more livable for all.
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