SAIC Faculty Odile Compagnon Surveys Walkability and Pedestrian Safety in North Lawndale

Odile Compagnon, adjunct professor in the Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects, is featured on Block Club Chicago for leading the WALK-H walkability assessment in North Lawndale. In partnership with a group of researchers and neighborhood youth, Compagnon’s contributions are part of the West Side Vision Zero Traffic Safety Plan, an initiative the city launched to end traffic fatalities by 2022. According to the article, many of the city’s most dangerous roads for pedestrians are located on the West Side.

Compagnon included the community’s input on the various infrastructures that would improve pedestrian safety in North Lawndale. The report from the WALK-H team offers design recommendations for Lawndale’s streetscape, however, Compagnon notes that there is more work to be accomplished: “This would be a nice first step, but it would not necessarily be sufficient to create a sense of walkability in the neighborhood. So this will probably need more studies to figure out where it should be implemented.”