Case Studies

What America’s Most Walkable Suburb Can Teach Towns Everywhere

America Walks is pleased to be able to offer access to the latest article by Jay Walljasper, What America’s Most Walkable Suburb Can Teach Towns Everywhere. The article highlights the growing trend of suburban leaders recognizing the power of walkable spaces to attract young people, families and businesses to their communities.  Jay examines Arlington County, VA, named one of … Continue reading What America’s Most Walkable Suburb Can Teach Towns Everywhere →

Discussion Forums

Connecting the Dots- Region IV Town Hall

America Walks was excited to host a regional town hall meeting designed to connect local organizations with regional offices of federal agencies.  Attendees heard presentations from a variety of regional offices, participated in breakout groups to identify possible synergies and ways to grow regional work and came together to commit to a series of goals for the region.   Goals and Next … Continue reading Connecting the Dots- Region IV Town Hall →

Tactics

Every Body Walk! Collaborative Resource- Additional Resources

Want to learn more about how to design curb extensions or make crosswalks more visible and safer? Curious to see some examples of bicycle lane treatments? Here are some resources that should answer many of your questions. Download the Additional Resources Guide Here Every Body Walk! Guide-Additional Resource

Every Body Walk! Collaborative Resource- Getting The Community On Board

Some members of your community will immediately embrace the idea of creating a more walkable environment. But others may have never given it a thought, and won’t even know what it really means, let alone why it’s a good thing or how to get there.  Here are four things a community can do to build … Continue reading Every Body Walk! Collaborative Resource- Getting The Community On Board →

Every Body Walk! Getting Started Guide

Many communities aspire to make themselves more walkable and livable, embracing the idea that it can improve health, the environment, even the economy.  This brief describes a number of pilot or gateway projects that are ideal “starter” activities. Download the Guide Here Getting Started Guide

Every Body Walk! Getting Started Practice Briefs

The Every Body Walk! Collaborative and expert Mark Fenton are pleased to be able to offer this series of Getting Started Practice Briefs designed to provide local organizations and advocates with resources, knowledge and insider tips on how to make their communities more walkable. The data found in these guides came from key informant interviews with … Continue reading Every Body Walk! Getting Started Practice Briefs →

Daylighting

To “daylight” an intersection is to clear sight lines between pedestrian crossings and oncoming cars, usually by creating no-parking zones at the curbs in front of crosswalks at that intersection. Guidance Install no-parking signs to mark the existence and length of no-parking zones Daylight at least 20′ (about one parking space) from the crosswalk at … Continue reading Daylighting →

Redesign Arterial Streets for Pedestrians

Arterial streets, typically multilane thoroughfares designed to speed cars from one destination to another, are often hazardous to people on foot. The Tri-State Transportation Campaign found that 60% of pedestrian deaths in the tri-state region of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut took place on arterial roadways. Redesigning arterial streets for pedestrians involves adapting roadway … Continue reading Redesign Arterial Streets for Pedestrians →

Build Pedestrian and Cyclist Bridges

These are bridges designed exclusively for pedestrians and bicyclists where at-grade solutions can’t be found—often over railways, waterways, or highways— that provide needed transportation links for walkers and cyclists. Guidance Exhaust at-grade solutions first, as those are often more walkable and less expensive Locate bridges so that they are on the normal path of pedestrian … Continue reading Build Pedestrian and Cyclist Bridges →

Turn Underutilized Asphalt into Grass and Other Uses

Underutilized, excessive roadway and/or parking space can be reassigned to pedestrian and/or bicycle uses. Underutilized or excessive roadways have more travel lanes (or parking spaces) than necessary for the number of cars using them. New uses of roadway or parking space could include public plazas with planters and seating areas, buffered bicycle lanes, and widened … Continue reading Turn Underutilized Asphalt into Grass and Other Uses →

Create Slow Zones

Slow zones consist of engineered traffic-calming measures such as speed humps, roundabouts, curb extensions, signs, optimized signal timing, and street markings to slow vehicles down to 20 miles per hour (mph) within clearly defined areas. Guidance Begin by building support among a diverse set of stakeholders Consult with all relevant stakeholders, including emergency services, police, … Continue reading Create Slow Zones →

Integrate Transit, Walking, and Cycling into Projects

The needs of transit, cyclists, and pedestrians should be integrated within the design and scope of transportation projects. This can be accomplished by improving infrastructure, modifying design speeds, reconfiguring roadways, and adapting traditional traffic analysis. Guidance Conduct traffic analysis in terms of person delay rather than vehicle delay to better account for all the people … Continue reading Integrate Transit, Walking, and Cycling into Projects →

Toolkits

Every Body Walk! Collaborative Resource- Additional Resources

Want to learn more about how to design curb extensions or make crosswalks more visible and safer? Curious to see some examples of bicycle lane treatments? Here are some resources that should answer many of your questions. Download the Additional Resources Guide Here Every Body Walk! Guide-Additional Resource

Every Body Walk! Collaborative Resource- Getting The Community On Board

Some members of your community will immediately embrace the idea of creating a more walkable environment. But others may have never given it a thought, and won’t even know what it really means, let alone why it’s a good thing or how to get there.  Here are four things a community can do to build … Continue reading Every Body Walk! Collaborative Resource- Getting The Community On Board →

Every Body Walk! Getting Started Guide

Many communities aspire to make themselves more walkable and livable, embracing the idea that it can improve health, the environment, even the economy.  This brief describes a number of pilot or gateway projects that are ideal “starter” activities. Download the Guide Here Getting Started Guide

Every Body Walk! Getting Started Practice Briefs

The Every Body Walk! Collaborative and expert Mark Fenton are pleased to be able to offer this series of Getting Started Practice Briefs designed to provide local organizations and advocates with resources, knowledge and insider tips on how to make their communities more walkable. The data found in these guides came from key informant interviews with … Continue reading Every Body Walk! Getting Started Practice Briefs →

Webinars

Livable Communities for All Ages Webinar

America Walks is excited to partner with AARP for its first webinar of 2016. To meet its commitment to creating great places for people of all ages, AARP has developed several resources that should be in the toolbox of any walking advocate. AARP’s Jeanne Anthony will walk participants through two of their resources, the Livability … Continue reading Livable Communities for All Ages Webinar →

White Papers

Inclusive Planning in Tribal Communities: Engaging People With Disabilities in Designing Safe and Accessible Transportation Systems

American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) have the highest prevalence of disability (about 30%) of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States.  At the same time, the accessibility of public spaces and safety of roadways in tribal communities are lacking and AI/AN have a “per capita” pedestrian fatality rate more than four-and-a-half times … Continue reading Inclusive Planning in Tribal Communities: Engaging People With Disabilities in Designing Safe and Accessible Transportation Systems →

Blog

URGENT ACTION ALERT: Demand a better recipe book for safer streets

Have you ever approached your city about adding a crosswalk in an important location for pedestrians? If you have, you’ve probably come away frustrated.   In the United States, neighborhood residents don’t get to decide where is the best place to place a crosswalk. Instead, that decision is left to an obscure technical document called the … Continue reading URGENT ACTION ALERT: Demand a better recipe book for safer streets →

Black Voices in Urbanism, Mobility and the Walkable Community Movement

Join us in listening to some of the fundamental lessons of Black History in urbanism through some of the prominent Black voices in our sphere. People we’ve had the pleasure of learning from on our various webinars and interviews. This is not an exhaustive feature but a brief, collective call to change straight from our … Continue reading Black Voices in Urbanism, Mobility and the Walkable Community Movement →

Inclusive Planning in Tribal Communities: Engaging People With Disabilities in Designing Safe and Accessible Transportation Systems

American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) have the highest prevalence of disability (about 30%) of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States.  At the same time, the accessibility of public spaces and safety of roadways in tribal communities are lacking and AI/AN have a “per capita” pedestrian fatality rate more than four-and-a-half times … Continue reading Inclusive Planning in Tribal Communities: Engaging People With Disabilities in Designing Safe and Accessible Transportation Systems →

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 →

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 →

Austin Reclaims its Public Space With “Healthy Streets”

This is a guest blog post by Gabe Colombo, an urban design intern at Black + Vernooy Architecture and Urban Design in Austin and a master’s student in architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. People love taking back their streets. The city of Bogotá, Colombia, has been closing its streets to automobile traffic … Continue reading Austin Reclaims its Public Space With “Healthy Streets” →

Bringing Back “Automatic Pedestrian Recall”: How Coronavirus Might Make Walking Easier in the Future

This blog was written by Ian Thomas, America Walks’ State and Local Program Director. Ian is a veteran of the walkable communities movement – he co-founded the PedNet Coalition of Columbia MO, served on the America Walks Board of Directors for seven years until his appointment as our State and Local Program Director in 2014, … Continue reading Bringing Back “Automatic Pedestrian Recall”: How Coronavirus Might Make Walking Easier in the Future →