More on the U.S. Surgeon General's Historic Pro-Walking Stance

The idea that Americans should walk rather than drive: "a radical idea wrapped in a banal government document."

1 minute read

September 12, 2015, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Walking

kaybee07 / Flickr

Emily Badger follows up with the recent pronouncement from the U.S. Surgeon General that cities should prioritize healthy forms of alternative transportation.

"The U.S. Surgeon General on Wednesday proposed a radical idea wrapped in a banal government document, a 72-page 'call to action' with 359 tiny-font references: Americans, Vivek Murthy said, should walk more."

Badger argues that the U.S. Surgeon General's action reflect a sea change at the federal level—away from "cars running on cheap fuel and fast asphalt should carry us everywhere…"

Badger provides additional historic context as well as some of the reactions to the U.S. Surgeon General's pronouncement: "Smart Growth America, one of many urban-design and transportation groups toasting the Surgeon General's announcement, interpreted it with this question: What if we labeled subdivisions like we do cigarettes?"

Wednesday, September 9, 2015 in The Washington Post - Wonkblog

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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