Walkable Communities
Workshops to make Chicagoland a better place for pedestrians,
and therefore a better place to live, work and play.
Walking, our first and most familiar way of getting around, is emerging as a key ingredient in creating livable communities. It provides access to destinations for people who cannot or prefer not to drive. By providing an alternative to short auto trips, it reduces local congestion and air quality problems. It is also a simple way to get a dose of physical activity. Pedestrians add to the vitality of streets, helping make them safe and pleasant for all who work, shop, play or live along them.
Seeking pedestrian connections to the Orland Square Mall.
Many street design and land use strategies can be used to improve a community's walkability. In order to help spread the word about these best practices, the Federal Highway Administration has developed the pilot Walkable Communities Program. This program provides training for metropolitan planning organization (MPO) staff and technical assistance for conducting pedestrian planning workshops in local communities. The Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS) is one of six MPO's from around the county that has been selected to participate in the pilot.
During the first week of October, 2001, ten Walkable Communities Workshops were held throughout the region (Click here for a brief description of the communities, as well as images and summaries from the workshops.) A final report on the program will be complete in the first quarter of 2002. We do know that that the workshops were a hit; evaluations showed that 76% of respondents felt the workshops will be very useful to the host communities (100% of respondents felt the workshops will be somewhat or very useful.)
In putting together the slate of communities, CATS strove to reflect this region’s diversity and the array of challenges and opportunities that exist for accommodating and encouraging walking—whether for transportation, pleasure, fitness or all of the above. CATS expects to use the insights gained in this first round of workshops to provide pedestrian planning assistance for other interested communities in the future. For more information, contact Tom Murtha at 312.793.3466 or tmurtha@catsmpo.com.
What makes a community walkable?
Sidewalks alone are not enough. Many factors can invite foot traffic (click here for pictures):
- architecture and storefronts that please the eye.
- trees that provide shade in the summer.
- streets that are easy to cross.
- bus stops that offer shelter from rain, snow and wind.
- sidewalks that are continuous and wide enough for at least two people.
- buildings that provide easy pedestrian access by having entrances on the sidewalk and parking lots in back or to the side.
- small parks and plazas that allow for gathering, people watching, playing and relaxing.
Additional Resources
Chicago Area Transportation Study
Walkable Communities, Inc.
Center for Livable Communities
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center
Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals
STPP’s Mean Streets Reports
America Walks
Institute of Transportation Engineers
Walk to School Day
City Comforts
Sierra Club’s Community Transformation Examples
www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/community/transformations/index.asp
Last updated November 14, 2001