Susan Elkin points to alarmingly low statistics on the number of children who walk to school, especially when compared with historic rates. She lays out some “blindingly obvious” and “child-centered” reasons why this trend needs to be reversed.
Elkin writes, “[a] study from the University of Westminster has this week shown that only 25 per cent of primary school pupils now travel home alone as opposed to 86 per cent in 1971 and 76 per cent today in Germany.” She outlines five reasons why it should be normal rather than exceptional for children to walk to school without parental supervision. These five reasons address issues such as: increasing child obesity, child development and socialization, stress- and risk-management, and even the observation of nature. Aside from these, Elkin points to a few others, including benefits to parents, car maintenance, and road congestion.
She also addresses, and debunks, the safety fears that prevent parents from allowing their children to walk to school. For example, she sites NSPCC statistics, which show that children are more likely to be killed by their own parents than by a stranger. On teaching kids about the rules of the road, she adds, “Surely if a parent walks his or her child to school until he or she is, say, eight there will have been ample time to do this?”
Elkin concludes by challenging parents to “break the mould” and to move away from “the hop-in-the-car attitude” that has become “culturally embedded” causing children to “[get] fatter, less curious and less self reliant."
FULL STORY: Only 25 per cent of children walk to school alone compared to 86 per cent in 1971. What went wrong?
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-watt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
California Grid Runs on 100% Renewable Energy for Over 9 Hours
The state’s energy grid was entirely powered by clean energy for some portion of the day on 37 out of the last 45 days.
New Forecasting Tool Aims to Reduce Heat-Related Deaths
Two federal agencies launched a new, easy-to-use, color-coded heat warning system that combines meteorological and medical risk factors.
AI Traffic Management Comes to Dallas-Fort Worth
Several Texas cities are using an AI-powered platform called NoTraffic to help manage traffic signals to increase safety and improve traffic flow.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.