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.
Keith Seinfeld discusses what Cindy Perry, a professor at the University of Washington School of Nursing, found when she compared data about the walking habits of Seattle area women with information on the walkability of their neighborhoods.
“'We did not find a clear relationship between the walkability of the neighborhood, those factors, and the women’s level of walking,' said Perry, the lead author of the study published in Health & Place....It didn’t seem to matter whether the women lived near leafy streets with interesting destinations nearby, or in a cul-de-sac far from shops and parks."
'Just having a beautiful environment isn’t going to move people from the couch to walking,' said Perry. A walkable environment can help, but it's not enough."
Read the full story: Study: Residents of walkable areas don't always walk more
This Florida town gives residents a free golf cart with each new home
Babcock Ranch discourages driving with ample walking and rolling infrastructure and dense development that offers many of the services residents need within a short walk or ride.
“Nobody Walks Here. It’s Too Hot or Cold or Wet or Dry.”
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An Ohio School District is Known for its Walkability. A District Overhaul is Jeopardizing That.
Lakewood plans to close some schools and consolidate students to a centralized early education center, eliminating years of work that created safe walking routes to neighborhood schools.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
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Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland
Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.
How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on
The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.
MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court
The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
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