Uploaded on 2014-10-11 by nikcheck

[1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/14129171054688524.jpg *Here's a shot from my morning commute as I cross the street in Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA.* Visible: 1. street width...and lots of it! it's like the Autobahn straight through the main pedestrian district. 2. cars on the road...but the tourist area moves at it's own pace. downtown and the military bases are more congested, and waikiki gets traffic later in the morning. Invisible: 1. traffic system. the traffic engineers have programmed the system to allow cars to shoot through the streets at high speeds. pedestrians have to ask permission to cross by pushing a button and waiting. 2. zoning regulations...the US requires large amounts of parking if you want to build something like an apartment building, a church, a swimming pool, a store, a restaurant, a school (well, almost everything). We could study traffic flow and the effects of zoning to determine how to improve pedestrian welfare in waikiki. perhaps useful knowledge could be generated which would make the city safer and more pleasant for those on foot. i believe the side effect would be a more profitable tourist district, which would generate more revenue for the city.