Walking

Walking: America's Next Medical Breakthrough

A group of America's leading corporations, health care providers, and government officials are preparing to launch a national walking movement this fall. "If walking was a pill or surgical procedure, it would be on 60 Minutes,” says Dr. Bob Sallis.

April 22, 2013 - Citiwire.net

Does Walkability Equal Walking?

Using data from the Women’s Health Initiative, a new study reveals that a walkable environment may not be enough to get people to walk more.

April 8, 2013 - KPLU

Yes You Can (Get Groceries Without A Car)

Shopping for bulky items can be one of the challenges of living car free. Here are three of the best ways I've found for dealing with the problem.

January 30, 2013 - Michael Lewyn

The Challenge of Bringing Walkability to America's 99 Percent

Kaid Benfield proposes not only more walkable neighborhoods in the United States, where a pedestrian is struck by a vehicle every 7 minutes, but also more walking to reverse the country's alarming obesity trend.

January 17, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard

What's More Dangerous - Cycling or Watching TV?

As Britain confronts the silent epidemic of inactivity and obesity, Peter Walker examines how the invisible dangers of a sedentary lifestyle are compared to the more publicized risk of injury from activities designed to get people moving.

November 30, 2012 - The Guardian

Bad Habits Are Hard to Break for US Metro Commuters

Despite significant investment in transit infrastructure, and renewed interest in downtowns and walkable neighborhoods, new data shows that gains in transit commute mode share have been hard to come by in America’s largest cities, says Kaid Benfield.

October 27, 2012 - Switchboard

America Walking More....And Less

A new report out from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds conflicting trends in Americans' walking habits. What's clear, however, is that an astonishing 38% of adults have not walked more than 10 minutes straight in the last week.

August 15, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Can Smart Phones Ignite America's Passion for Walking?

Sarah Goodyear looks at how smart phones and augmented reality applications may hold the key to enriching urban exploration and getting Americans off their sofas and out exploring their environments.

June 12, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Finding Joy Outside Our Cars

Sarah Goodyear explores the need to market non-automotive transportation on its emotional appeal, rather than reason, as argued by Darrin Nordahl in his new e-book, Making Transit Fun!

May 3, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Planning to Walk

In the final installment of his series on "Walking in America" on Slate, Tom Vanderbilt looks at why so much of the built environment is hostile to pedestrians, and how planning can change that.

April 15, 2012 - Slate.com

Pedestrianology 101: The Science of Walking in Social Spaces

In the second part of a four part series on America's pedestrian problem, Tom Vanderbilt evaluates the surprisingly formalized field of pedestrian behavior research, from navigating crowded sidewalks to tripping at the bottom of the stairs.

April 13, 2012 - Slate

How Walking Became a "Lost Mode"

To launch his new 4-part series on walking in Slate, Tom Vanderbilt describes the "public health nightmare" of a country that has forgotten how to walk.

April 10, 2012 - Slate.com

Is Generation Y Weaning Off the Automobile?

Angie Schmitt discusses new research from U.S. PIRG indicating youngsters are relying on their cars less than the generation before them, motivated by more than just thinning pocketbooks.

April 8, 2012 - Streetsblog

Walking New York

Jed Lipinski profiles Matt Green, an intrepid pedestrian whose goal is to traverse every street in every borough in New York City on foot.

March 26, 2012 - The New York Times

As Interest in Biking and Walking Rises, Will Funding Keep Up?

Claire Thompson reports on new findings presented in the Alliance for Biking and Walking's 2012 Benchmarking Report demonstrating the rise in biking and walking, and the incongruity with recent attempts to defund bipedal infrastructure.

February 21, 2012 - Grist

New Report Ranks Top Cities and States for Bicycling and Walking

A new report ranks all 50 states and the 51 largest American cities in terms of bicycling and walking levels, safety, funding, and other factors.

January 24, 2012 - Alliance for Biking and Walking

How To Retrofit The Suburbs to Increase Walking

Researchers look at the largely suburban South Bay area of Los Angeles to offer ways to retrofit auto-oriented suburbs for more pedestrian travel.

January 9, 2012 - Access

Does Living in a Poor Neighborhood Harm Your Health?

A study conducted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the 1990s found that living in poor neighborhoods can actually hurt your health.

November 19, 2011 - TheCityFix.com

The Value of Transportation Enhancements; Or, Are Walking and Cycling Really Transportation?

An important current policy debate concerns whether the next U.S. federal surface transportation reauthorization should require spending on “enhancements,” which finance projects such as walkways, bike paths, highway landscaping and historic preservation. This issue receives considerable attention, despite the fact that enhancements represent less than 2% of total federal surface transportation expenditures, because it raises questions about future transport priorities, particularly the role of walking and cycling. In other words, should non-motorized modes be considered real transportation.

November 16, 2011 - Todd Litman

Cyclists, Pedestrians, and Drivers Clash

With over 8 million people sharing the streets and sidewalks of New York City, there is bound to be a clash between transportation modes. Who's to blame? Lyndsey Scofield says that there is bad behavior on all sides.

October 5, 2011 - This Big City

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

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The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.