Building safe crosswalks and wide, continuous sidewalks that connect neighborhoods to nearby grocery stores, shops and entertainment will be a popular subject of conversation at the National Walk Summit next week in Washington DC.
Scout Cart’s Allison White will join city planners and public policy makers in discussions on the Active Living Movement, prioritizing development of pedestrian infrastructure, repurposing streets for play, and motivating people to walk for health and wellness.
“People want to live in places that encourage walking. If you give people a sidewalk that goes somewhere, they will walk,” said White. “But a sidewalk needs to be continuous. If it suddenly stop and the walker is now on the side of the road but hasn’t reached her destination then the area isn’t walkable. We have lots of sidewalks in my town that abruptly end and at that point the walk becomes dangerous and unpleasant.
“We need to celebrate people for walking. They are contributing to the vibrancy of local culture and to a sprit of health and wellness, because when one person gets out and starts walking, others follow!”
During an Every Body Walk! training program, White will learn new approaches on motivating people to walk, keeping them walking, and finding resources and support for promoting walkability locally.