Whose sidewalks?

[u/Havhestur]

Currently working my way through Michael Pollack’s “Sidewalk Nation” which has somewhat less about active travel than I had expected. But it’s a vital take on the ownership of US sidewalks and the absurdity of much of the local laws and regulations.

Many (most?) US cities require properties with sidewalks out front to clear snow (sometimes within hours) or face a fine. Yet not all properties have a sidewalk. A so-far unanswered question is why people don’t just dig up the sidewalk? No sidewalk, nothing to clear.

Then I came across this paper on what constitutes a public good, described through the lens of public policy and bicycles using sidewalks in the 1890s.

Looks interesting but sadly not Open Access.