Walking Policy and Planning - Building Communities with Pedestrians in Mind

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Community Problems & Solutions

How Walkable is your Community?

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Speeding traffic, no place to cross the street safely, even stretches of road where pedestrians are frequently hit by automobiles -- unfortunately, these are typical problems facing both big sprawling cities as well as small rural towns.

Unsafe conditions like these have aroused the concern of people in communities both large and small across America. And more and more people are deeply concerned about the health benefits lost when people do not walk.

The good news? Communities that care about walking are working toward making walking safer and easier to do. Good walkability in a community requires excellent design and engineering; safe behavior by pedestrians and cyclists as well as motorists; and recognition that walking is an important transportation option with tremendous health benefits.

The first step to fixing something that is broken is to accurately identify the problem. If no one in a community is walking, find out why. If pedestrian accidents are on the rise, look for possible causes.

Once you've determined the problem, it's much easier to fix. The next step involves discovering the tools, resources, and information to get to the solution that best fits your community.

Download the Walkablity Checklist

This useful tool can help you find out how walkable your community is. Take a walk and use this checklist to decide if your neighborhood is a friendly place to walk. Take heart if you find problems, there are ways you can make things better.

	Download the Checklist Adobe PDF format (216k)
	(requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

NOTE: Internet Explorer users, please read this note.

Also in Community Problems & Solutions

•	Information Clearinghouse - Send a question to our network of technical experts.

•	Community Toolbox - The National Park Service's Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program has produced the Community Toolbox, a set of techniques for project development and community participation.

•	Walkability Checklist - Take a walk and use this checklist to decide if your neighborhood is a friendly place to walk.

•	Featured site: Walk to School Day - On Wednesday, October 2, 2002, the U.S. will join countries around the world to celebrate International Walk to School Day. Learn more about this great event!

	Maintained by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center with funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.