Cities That Accelerate

One walks faster in a big city than in a small one — and measurably so. A population's walking speed increases with the size of the agglomeration.

In 1976, psychologists Marc and Helen Bornstein compared pedestrian speeds in cities of different sizes, on several continents. The correlation is clear: the larger the population, the faster the pace, independent of local culture — a measurable phenomenon, not a rushed tourist's impression.

The phenomenon relates to urban informational density. Overwhelmed with stimuli, the city dweller filters, accelerates and shortens their interactions to manage overload. Speed becomes an adaptation to the volume of solicitations, not a simple national trait or individual temperament.

In 1999, psychologist Robert Levine extended the measurement to thirty-one countries by adding other "pace of life" indices — speed of a clerk, accuracy of public clocks. Fast walking appears as the visible symptom of a dense and pressured economy. Understanding this rhythm means measuring the city as much as crossing it.