In the 1960s and 1970s, the area switched to providing services for soldiers from the United States Armed Forces on rest and recuperation breaks in Pattaya, resulting in the development of hotels, bars and restaurants on Walking Street, which was then referred to as "The Strip".

Pattaya authorities began cracking down on oversized signs in 2015 in an effort to improve accessibility on Walking Street for emergency vehicles.

[18] Due to efforts in the 2010s through to the 2020s to shift Pattaya away from sex tourism and towards venues which are more family friendly, there have been several ideas by the City Council to redevelop parts or the entirety of Walking Street.

In 1998, 101 buildings on Walking Street were targeted for demolition due to them being seen as encroaching on public land, as shown in a report by Japan International Cooperation Agency.

A public hearing on 6 October presented four plans which called on the removal of differing amount of buildings on Walking Street.

[19] In May 2015, Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh ordered the demolition of 12 buildings on Walking Street for illegally extending their property, although only a few were demolished.

[19] On 11 June 2020, several ideas were presented to the City Council to redevelop Walking Street alongside the Bali Hai pier area.