Blog

We Can’t Walk If We Can’t Breathe: The Imperative for Racial Equity

This is a guest blog written by Lawrence T. Brown, the proud grandson and son of Mississippi Delta sharecroppers and preachers.  Lawrence is a visiting associate professor at the University of Wisconsin.  His research examines the impact of historical trauma on community health.  In June 2018, he was honored by OSI Baltimore with the Bold Thinker award for … Continue reading We Can’t Walk If We Can’t Breathe: The Imperative for Racial Equity →

How to Conduct a Walk Audit in Your Community – Quick Video Guide for Assessing Your Neighborhood Walkability

A walk audit is an assessment of the pedestrian safety, accessibility, and comfort of a particular area. In addition to documenting specific issues and engaging the community in advocating for improvements, walk audits can be most effective when public officials and community members of varying backgrounds, ages and abilities are intentionally invited and welcomed along … Continue reading How to Conduct a Walk Audit in Your Community – Quick Video Guide for Assessing Your Neighborhood Walkability →

The Pandemic Ate My Homework: The “Stupid” Project

This is a guest blog written by America Walks’ Walking College Fellow Scot Key. Learn more about the Walking College by clicking here. Yesterday, I was riding the wrong way uphill on the shoulder of Dennis Chaves Blvd. (NM-500), trying to stay with the orange barrels, seen above, between me and the many drivers zooming … Continue reading The Pandemic Ate My Homework: The “Stupid” Project →

The Federal Government Can Spur Dramatic Transformation for Pedestrian Safety (if it so chooses)

The following blog is a set of people-first policy recommendations that America Walks’ Executive Director Mike McGinn recently sent to the US Department of Transportation.  Dear USDOT, Thank you for requesting input on pedestrian safety. Pedestrian deaths reached a 30-year high in 2019. They have increased 60% in the last ten years. Traffic crashes are … Continue reading The Federal Government Can Spur Dramatic Transformation for Pedestrian Safety (if it so chooses) →

Libraries: The New Engine of Community Engagement and Walkable Neighborhood Advocacy

This is a guest blog by Noah Lenstra, Assistant Professor of Library and Information Science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Noah has been keeping an eye on how public libraries support walking since 2016 as part of his Let’s Move in Libraries initiative. Contact: lenstra@uncg.edu / @NoahLenstra Ask for a phrase using … Continue reading Libraries: The New Engine of Community Engagement and Walkable Neighborhood Advocacy →

Balancing the “Fierce Urgency of Now” and Humanizing Every Victim of Traffic Violence

This guest blog is a foreword written by Charles T. Brown, MPA, CPD, Senior Researcher and Adjunct Professor at Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers University. Register here for our September 8th webinar for a conversation with Angie Schmitt, author of “Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America”.  Follow … Continue reading Balancing the “Fierce Urgency of Now” and Humanizing Every Victim of Traffic Violence →

Walkability is a Health Justice Issue in Philadelphia

This blog post was written by Lee Scottlorde, an America Walks Walking College  Fellow based in Philadelphia. As a walk leader and organizer for Girltrek, the largest national public health organization that encourages Black women to walk 30 min a day for their health and well-being and We Walk PHL, a program that has established … Continue reading Walkability is a Health Justice Issue in Philadelphia →

Community Change Grant Update: Shinnecock Indian Nation

America Walks is pleased to learn how the Community Change Grant has kick-started efforts to slow down traffic and improve safety in the tribal community of Shinnecock Indian Nation. Our Community Change Grant program, which will open up again in the fall of 2020, supports local efforts to create safe, accessible, and enjoyable places to … Continue reading Community Change Grant Update: Shinnecock Indian Nation →

A Word from America Walks’ New Executive Director Mike McGinn

I am thrilled to be the new Executive Director of America Walks – founded in 1996 to support local advocacy for walkable communities.  Both the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide protests against police brutality emphasize the need to transform our places to make them truly safe for everyone. In an era of social distancing, the … Continue reading A Word from America Walks’ New Executive Director Mike McGinn →

Walking Promotes Mental Health – How to Encourage More Ambling, Strolling, Striding and Hiking in All Communities

This is a guest blog by Tyler Norris, Kate Kraft and Wendy Landman. When you go for a walk or a roll, you’re not just moving your body from place to place. Something’s happening to your brain. Your mind clears. As your muscles warm up and your back straightens, your stress lessens. By the time … Continue reading Walking Promotes Mental Health – How to Encourage More Ambling, Strolling, Striding and Hiking in All Communities →