You may now be wondering, “How do I use this information to modify the built environment in my community, which is currently unsafe and unappealing for walking?”
Well, the answer is to change public policy, and that’s the focus of Module 5. While the current system of rules may require the government to construct big, wide roads with large parking lots around every building, a new set of rules could require (or, at least, allow) narrow driving lanes, connected sidewalks and crosswalks, a variety of land uses on small lots, and greenery! Since these rules (or policies) are adopted by elected officials, voters have the power to bring about change through the advocacy process. Since many of the relevant policies are local, City Council Members and County Commissioners are the key decision-makers and this work can be done by community advocates, … like you!
This week’s resources provide examples of the way our public policies (many at the local level) force us into a car-oriented lifestyle.
“In America, the freedom of movement comes with an asterisk: the obligation to drive. This truism has been echoed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which has pronounced car ownership a “virtual necessity.” The Court’s pronouncement is telling. Yes, in a sense, America is car-dependent by choice—but it is also car-dependent by law.”
Article asks questions such as:
“Instead of merely accommodating some people’s desire to drive, our laws essentially force driving on all of us—by subsidizing it, by punishing people who don’t do it, by building a physical landscape that requires it, and by insulating reckless drivers from the consequences of their actions. To page through the law books today is to stumble again and again upon evidence of automobile supremacy. The range and depth of legal supports for driving is bewildering. But these laws, which are everywhere we look, are also opportunities.”
With an understanding of the physical components of a walkable community, the next step is to redesign and rebuild our streets and public places – and that means engaging in the public policy process and working with the business establishment. No-one knows more about “changing the system” than walkability expert Mark Fenton, who authored a Practice Guide for the Every Body Walk! Collaborative last year, titled, Making Walking Routine: Building Walkability Through Policies and Market Forces. Join Mark as he describes the most promising and effective strategies for modifying both public- and private-sector procedures so they lead inevitably to walkable communities.