footpath.ai has just reached a major milestone: micro-mapping the entire footpath network of the City of Sydney local government area supported by an Innovation and Ideas Grant from the City of Sydney. Over 750 kilometers of pedestrian infrastructure have now been mapped to a level of detail rarely seen before. Footpaths and crossings were mapped, measured, and contextualized based on real-world conditions.
The result is a dataset rich in detail, ready to inform better planning, inclusive design, and practical applications. The value of this work lies in what it captures today as well as the foundation it lays for walkable cities in the future, supporting the City of Sydney’s ‘A City for Walking’ Strategy and Action Plan and the ambitious goal of becoming a city that is a leader in walking: a place where walking is possible, safe, comfortable and fun.
The mapping effort involved collecting and processing more than 76,000 geotagged images spanning 707 km of footpaths and 61 km of crossings across Sydney. Each segment includes an estimate of its effective width, an essential measure for understanding how people actually experience space when walking.
In addition to the walking network data, footpath.ai detected 48,358 features of footpath furniture and streetscape elements. This includes around 1,532 benches, 1,351 bike racks, 725 public garbage bins, 1,891 marked crossings, 4,589 accessibility ramps, 9,847 street lights, 1,349 tactile pavers, and 27,074 street trees. Surface materials and weather protection were also identified, highlighting shaded or sheltered areas that support more comfortable, heat-resilient walking. These counts reflect what was detected from imagery and may differ slightly from official inventories.
For any city serious about walkability, a road map isn’t enough. What’s needed is a walking map, a detailed understanding of where the footpath is too narrow to pass with a stroller or wheelchair, where crossings are missing or unsafe, and where shade or seating can make the pedestrian experience more inviting.
Yet in most cities, pedestrian infrastructure remains largely invisible in the data. It’s patchy, outdated, or simply missing. And without visibility, it’s difficult to prioritize upgrades, improve accessibility, or plan infrastructure that truly serves everyone.
With this high-resolution dataset, footpath.ai has created the type of asset that enables cities to identify safe routes to schools and transport hubs, especially for people with mobility challenges. It also helps councils plan upgrades and repairs, respond to the needs of an aging population, build resilience against extreme heat, and improve wayfinding for anyone navigating the city differently, whether on foot, by wheelchair, or even via delivery robots.
The City of Sydney project demonstrates what’s possible with street-level imagery, geospatial intelligence, and a clear commitment to better urban mobility.