|
|
::
|
Coming Together
: Advocacy Groups
Those of us who have a real desire to improve pedestrian safety and promote walking most likely have a "Grand Vision" of a walkable world. A vision of attractive, safe, well-designed streets which are buzzing with life: people walking to and from school and work and errands, or simply for pleasure. A place where motorists and pedestrians and cyclists have mutual respect for one another's rights. But in order to help make the whole world walkable, you need to start with your own corner of it.
"Your corner of the world" may be as small as your neighborhood, school, or as large as the town in which you live. But through the effective organization of a good advocacy group however, your impact on just this "corner" has the potential to be enormous.
Advocacy groups are change agents, working to improve walking conditions while simultaneously providing that alternative "Grand Vision" of walkable, thriving community life.
The largest and most prominent pedestrian advocacy group, America
Walks, is actually a sort of umbrella for a web of smaller
grassroots campaigns from all over the United States.
Although their efforts are primarily concentrated in their own communities—Philly Walks works first to improve Philadelphia pedestrian issues, while the Bay Peds group in San Francisco is most concerned with improving the walkability of its own streets—united collectively with other local groups under America Walks, they are partnered by a shared vision and approach.
Local grassroots advocacy groups are able to more effectively target specific issues occurring in their own geographic areas: WALK Austin sponsors a weekly "Right of Way" radio show; Walk San Diego persuaded its regional govenment to allocate $1 million for walkable communities projects.
United by large groups like America Walks, their micro-focused efforts have a large-scale impact—the added benefit of a nationwide support network and a collective (and therefore more effective) voice.
Read on for America Walks' own perspective on the building blocks of advocacy groups as an instrument for initiating change.
|
|