What's in a Walk?

In advocacy, we often operate from the assumption that education is key to creating momentum for action. That what we know shapes and changes how we act. 

But what if we flipped this on its head? What if we started with experience? What if we let actions shape how we view the world and how we want to change it? 

Here is an example: Conserve Southwest Utah’s Stewardship Program regularly brings volunteers out into the desert for data collection and restoration projects. As a natural byproduct, volunteers gain a deeper appreciation for the landscapes that surround us and the importance of protecting them. 

That path—action leading to insights and new ways of thinking—is a main tenet informing our Desert Livability team’s Neighborhood Walk Initiative. 

When was the last time you walked to school? 

Recently, our Desert Livability team completed a “Walk Audit” with school officials and parents at a St. George elementary school. The goal was to step into a student’s shoes—to get a sense of how convenient, safe, and comfortable walking to school would feel for a child—and to spark conversation about ideas for improvement. 

A chilly spring morning, 15 participants met at the school and loaded up with safety gear, clipboards, maps and surveys. We set out right as the school bell rang. 

While we didn’t see many students on foot at this hour, parents whizzed past in minivans to drive their kids to school at the last minute.

As in many older neighborhoods in Saint George, we enjoyed some pleasant tree coverage and close proximity to a neighborhood park. We walked along quaint front yards, some with lawns, some with desert-adapted landscaping. Some areas were well maintained, while others could have benefited from some clean-up and trimming to clear space for pedestrians. 

While many sidewalks were in good shape, we also noticed cracks and tree branches pushing up the pavement. All of the roads we walked along were wide and tailored to cars. To reach the neighborhood park across the main road, pedestrians needed to take a detour to get to a crosswalk or stop light about half a block away. 

At street crossings, one thing in particular stood out: While drivers were polite, and tremendously kind crossing guards were stationed at the two marked crosswalks near the school, many intersections in the area did not have any markings at all. We rarely saw lines under stop signs that could have emphasized the need to slow, come to a halt, and watch for pedestrians. Later we learned that markings like these are often painted reluctantly— and only after specific requests—because of the cost and effort of maintenance. 

Here’s the bigger picture: Although many of our neighborhoods in Washington County are attractive and somewhat walkable, it is neither surprising nor unique that speed and convenience for driving are often favored over comfort and safety for pedestrians.

Our most vulnerable road users pay the price, and so does our environment. Research connects car-centric planning to a long list of externalities: violence, ill health, social injustice, and, of course, environmental damage, biodiversity loss, and more. 

All of this can feel incredibly daunting to those of us who feel passionately about the intricate connections between environmental health and community well-being. We ask ourselves: What are key elements of sustainable urban planning to preserve our natural resources, open spaces, and quality of life? How can we effect change in that direction? Where do we start? 

Putting one foot in front of the other.

Walkability is a key tenet of sustainable communities. When walkability is fostered in urban planning, communities thrive—economically, socially, physically, and environmentally. In fact, quality of life and environmental conservation are complementary goals!

But getting there is complex and it involves many stakeholders. If it was easy, we would have done it already, right?

So we’re asking: What if we started with connection through action? 

This is what our neighborhood walks are about. 

As we gathered back at the elementary school after our walk,  I could see the passion on the participants' faces as they shared ideas to make walks safer and more enjoyable for kids, parents and the community at large. Commitments were made to start using cones to slow traffic in front of the school during pick-up and drop-off. A small step that lays the foundations for bigger changes later. 

When we walk together we connect with other members of our community and our environment at a human pace. We get to know some of our neighbors and local stakeholders that we can call next time we experience an issue. We experience what it is like to navigate our neighborhoods as pedestrians. We foster neighborhood experiences that are not mediated through a windshield. And perhaps, we begin envisioning how the city can grow sustainably, taking small steps, one neighborhood at a time.