Pavements for pedestrians were object of attention of rulers since the 17th century, when cities still had no motor vehicles. In the city of Rio de Janeiro, capital of the empire, in 1870, a new urban structure was in process, in total harmony with transportation; the city expanded due to the capacity of the transport network to ensure transportation of the population (Silva, 2008). Figure 1 exhibits the granite sidewalks of Ajuda street, in the proximities of the municipal theater of Rio de Janeiro, in the early 20th century. They offered good comfort and safety conditions even for current demand levels. This example represents a significant advancement in pedestrian infrastructure in comparison to pavings that still prevailed at the time, as the pé-de-moleque (boy s-foot, a Brazilian candy made with crunched peanuts) pavement that emerged in colonial Brazil, still present in neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro and other historical cities of Brazil. Figure 1 also shows an segment in pé de moleque on current Rio Branco avenue, discovered in 2015 upon construction of the light rail vehicle (VLT). Currently, sidewalks may be considered an indicator of human development, within the sustainable human mobility sphere, defined as the displacement manner that prioritizes the individual, respecting same as to what regards proper needs, producing minimal energetic cost, with significant reduction of pollutants emissions and noise levels, restricting use of cars and decreasing their speeds. In this scenario wherein sustainability is considered a guideline for urban development policies, which have among their purposes equity and social justice in the appropriation of land, resources and the use of road space, city walking gains more importance (Gondim, 2001). In Brazil, where more than 80 percent of the population lives in cities, how does the municipal public administration act on the current sidewalks infrastructure? Could a sidewalk quality index serve as a tool to the manager and the proper population, through residents associations to diagnose and monitor the quality of sidewalks? An attempt to answer these important questions is the aim of this work.