Walking To The Beat Of A Better Life
Not so long ago, this is the way we travelled, and much of the world still does. In the United States, we tend to build environments that include our homes, workplaces, and social centers in driveable areas. I have to admit I don’t know anyone who actually walks to the grocery store.
Walkable neighborhoods have much lower rates of traffic fatalities — for both pedestrians and motorists — compared with driving -oriented areas.
Interesting that low-income families are more reliant on walking for essential journeys than the middle class, and yet low-cost housing is often located in the most car-dependent places.
Sadly, the creation of a truly walkable community where most people walk for short journeys involves a cultural change.
One quarter of all trips in the U.S. are 1 mile or less, and yet most of these trips are taken by car. Increasing walking reduces traffic congestion and the cost of road maintenance.
It’s amazing that our bodies are engineered to move this way and it’s becoming all too clear that a sedentary lifestyle is a disease in and of itself. Moving matters, and walking can be the absolute best low-impact way to living a more active, healthy, and connected life.
Most of us are familiar with the myriad of benefits of walking. First, the…
