Imagining Walkable Cities in Tunisia: An Urban Planner’s Perspective

For decades, Tunisian cities — like many around the world — have been designed with cars at the center. Wide boulevards, sprawling suburbs, and parking lots often dominate our urban landscape. But what if we shifted the focus back to people, not vehicles? What if our cities were designed so that walking was not just possible, but pleasant and practical?

This is the vision of a walkable city: a place where everyday needs are within reach, where the public realm is vibrant, and where streets are more than transit corridors — they are spaces of life.

What Makes a City Truly Walkable?

From an urban planning perspective, walkability is more than building sidewalks. It is about how the city is structured and experienced:

Proximity: Homes, schools, shops, and services located close to each other.
Connectivity: A fine-grained street network with short blocks and many route options.
Public Space Quality: Safe, shaded, and welcoming streets and plazas.
Diversity of Uses: Housing, commerce, culture, and services mixed together.
Transit Integration: Reliable buses, trams, or metro that complement walking.

These qualities are cultural as much as physical. Walkable cities encourage interaction, civic pride, and healthier lifestyles.

Why Walkability Matters in Tunisia

Tunisia’s urban form has been evolving rapidly, with car ownership increasing and sprawl stretching cities outward. Yet, the reality is that many Tunisians already walk daily — often because they must, not because their city makes it easy.

Making cities more walkable is not a luxury; it is a necessity for:

Equity — ensuring safe access to jobs, schools, and markets for everyone, including those without cars.
Heritage & Identity — celebrating the scale of historic medinas and bringing that human-centered fabric into modern planning.
Climate Resilience — reducing car emissions, mitigating heat with trees and compact form.
Local Economy — revitalizing street commerce and supporting small businesses.

An Example Vision: A Walkable District in Sousse

Imagine taking a district in Sousse — perhaps around the old medina and its surrounding neighborhoods — and rethinking it with walkability as the core principle.

Street Hierarchy: Convert some car-dominated streets into pedestrian-priority corridors, while maintaining essential vehicle access around the perimeter.
Everyday Destinations: Cluster schools, clinics, markets, and cultural centers so residents can reach them within a 10–15 minute walk.
Public Transport Spine: Strengthen bus routes connecting the district to the larger city, making walking and transit the default pair.
Green & Shaded Pathways: Tree-lined promenades linking the medina to newer districts, offering comfort in hot summers.
Cultural Anchors: Use heritage sites and plazas as focal points for community life, rather than isolated tourist spots.

This is not about banning cars everywhere. It is about rebalancing priorities so walking becomes the natural first choice for short trips.

Policy and Planning Tools

To achieve such a transformation, construction projects are not enough. We need policy and governance shifts:

Zoning Reform: Encourage mixed-use development, avoiding single-function zones that force long commutes.
Parking Policy: Reduce minimum parking requirements and invest in shared, peripheral parking instead.
Street Management: Set speed limits in dense areas (20–30 km/h), redesign intersections for safety.
Participation: Involve residents, shopkeepers, and students in co-creating street improvements.
Phased Implementation: Start with pilot streets or districts, evaluate success, then scale up.

A Human-Centered Future

At its core, walkability is about shaping cities for human experience. Tunisia’s historic medinas already demonstrate how lively, intimate, and efficient pedestrian environments can be. The challenge for planners today is to bridge that heritage with modern needs — designing districts that are inclusive, sustainable, and economically vibrant.

The walkable city is not an abstract European dream; it is deeply Tunisian. Our cities were built for people long before they were redesigned for cars. It is time to reclaim that legacy, adapt it to the 21st century, and imagine urban spaces where walking is once again a joy, not a struggle.

As urban planners, we don’t just draw maps or draft regulations — we shape the everyday journeys of people. The walkable city is a promise of healthier, more connected, and more resilient communities across Tunisia.