GPS data reveal why pedestrians in Phnom Penh rarely walk the shortest route

Cities across the Global South are urbanizing at pace, but their built environments for walking rarely resemble ideal, tidy, and well-regulated networks. Vehicles are parked on pedestrian sidewalks, and a seemingly direct route on a map may feel longer in practice. Moreover, many urban planning ideas and assumptions are based on research done on Global North cities like New York, which do not fully capture or reflect the nuances and lived experiences of the Global South.