Contents
- Walk2Work
- Conferences
- Start your own WAG or Jane's Walk
- Christchurch walkability
- US transport priorities - a sea change
- Health benefits of 20mph (40kph)
- Plants take over the streets
- Add your feet to the movement
Walk2Work
We've just run a very succesful Walk2Work campaign,with lots of events around the country on Walk2Work day, March 10th. You can check out the events, see the photos and send in a walking story here. Living Streets UK is running their Walk2Work week in April - have a look at what they're up to. There was an interesting article in the Weekend Herald a couple of weeks ago about the benefits to businesses whose staff walk to work - read it here.
Conferences
The registration form for the NZ Walking conference in Wellington on 2/3 August will be on the Living Streets website this month. The Golden Foot Walking Awards will be presented to winners during the conference - more information about how to nominate for an award will be sent out next week.
And further afield, the 5th World Congress on Downtowns and Town Centres is being held in London, England from 16th – 19th June 2010 (Great video, but why didn't she walk!!)
Start your own WAG or Jane's Walk
Victoria Walks has a great website. Check out the Case Studies and you'll find Living Streets Aotearoa's yellow feet campaign there. Also the two videos on how to set up a WAG (Walking Action Group) are exactly what we're doing here in New Zealand also. If you want to set up a WAG in your community, get in touch and we'll give you a hand.
Jane's Walk invites people to get out of their cars and get connected. It is inspired by the life and work of the late Jane Jacobs of Toronto – a significant contributor to good neighbourhood design. For her, the best way to get to know parks, sidewalks and streets was to get out and walk around, especially with some local residents. Maybe something you could start in your community here in NZ.
Christchurch walkability
A new Christchurch City Council commissioned report by world reknown urban designer Jan Gehl recommends increasing walkability to make the inner city even more vibrant. Walking to work looks set to become even more exciting in Christchurch. Councillors are discussing the report and considering which recommendations to prioritise. Check out the report's recommendations and glean helpful information for your own town or city centre. Read the report.
US transport priorities - a sea change
The US Transport Secretary signalled an "end of favouring motorized transportation" in a speech in March when he announced the key recommendations in the new policy on provisions for bicycles and pedestrians. If they can do it in the States, maybe we could do it here??
Health benefits of 20mph (32 km/h)
The National Heart Forum in UK has developed a position statement on the health benefits of slower speeds, in collaboration with Sustrans, Living Streets UK and Public Health.
Plants take over the streets
Two ideas to bring a bit of life to the streets! Here's an idea from a cyclist in Oxford, UK which we could adapt for holes in footpaths, perhaps? Also what a kindy is doing to promote road safety in their street.
Add your feet to the movement
You receive this e-bulletin because you are on our contacts database as someone who is interested or working in the area of everyday walking and walking-friendly environments. if you would like to support our work and get more involved, you can join Living Streets as an individual or a supporting organisation