Philadelphia is responsible for maintaining over 2,000 miles of Philly streets and highways, helping get commuters to their next destination by foot or vehicle. While many of these roadways are bordered by sidewalks, some streets lack them entirely, leaving pedestrians stranded or at risk of injury or death.
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s Pedestrian Portal tracks walkability in the Philadelphia area. Residents can plan trips by using its tools, such as a map of the region’s sidewalks. The commission estimates 230 miles of Philly streets have no sidewalks.
The map uses a key to identify gaps in sidewalk coverage. Red indicates streets missing sidewalks on either side. Yellow indicates streets that are missing sidewalks on one side. Green indicates streets that have sidewalks on both sides.
Compared to surrounding counties, Philadelphia is fairly covered with sidewalks (their conditions, however, are another conversation). Most of Philly’s streets have sidewalks on both sides.
Neighborhoods at the edges of the city appear to have fewer sidewalks, such as in Southwest, Northwest, and Northeast Philly. Streets lacking sidewalks are either located in industrial areas, adjacent to parkland, have expanded yard space, once had sidewalks that deteriorated over time, or were never designed with sidewalks in mind.
For example, at the intersection of Bryn Mawr Avenue and Parkside Avenue North, one side of Parkside has sidewalks while the other side, connected to Fairmount Park, remains grassy. On Bryn Mawr Avenue both sides of the street have sidewalks until one side becomes grass-covered past the bridge.
With facility improvements over the years, some infrastructure changes may not yet be reflected on the map. You can create an account to help keep the sidewalk inventory up to date.
🎧 Listen to this episode of City Cast Philly to learn how Philly can improve its sidewalks.
