Sauntering … in the scrubbed up city …

   Do legal, policy, and planning efforts to improve a city’s friendliness lead to a city’s greater popularity?  This enjoyable essay on walking in New York City suggests that efforts to decrease street crime, clean up the streets, and make New York a more enjoyable place have increased the habit of walking in the city –- a practice that was all but lost in America in the 20th century.