Padre Alonso de Ovalle, Santiago, Chile. Image Courtesy of Urb-I Providing more public space for pedestrians is one of the main goals of urban renewal projects taking place in cities around the world. By planting more trees, implementing more sidewalks and bike paths and establishing new seating areas, it is possible to design more welcoming…
As Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods comes to our cinemas, Tim Jepson celebrates the joys of long-distance hiking, from America’s Appalachian Trail to our own South West Coast Path Walking, never mind long-distance walking, rarely makes it to Hollywood. But two major films this year feature trekking on two of the world’s greatest…
Last week, the surgeon general launched a national call to action to promote walking and walkable communities, calling on people to make walking a priority and to make the United States a more walkable nation. Walking is arguably one of the best forms of exercise. It strengthens your cardiorespiratory system by getting your heart pumping,…
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s recent Call to Action made it clear that walking is the best way for most people to stay healthy and fit. Here’s how to do it more often and make it more enjoyable. (Murthy will be among the many speakers and participants from all walks of life at the 2nd National…
Landscape architects Kim Mathews and Signe Nielsen on getting maximum impact from public spaces. Kim Mathews and Signe Nielsen give new life to old land. As the principals of award-winning New York landscape-architecture firm Mathews Nielsen, they specialize in transforming urban terrain, whether they’re revitalizing Lincoln Center’s public plazas, restoring the historic St. Paul’s churchyard…
If you want to add physical activity to your day, walking is a great way to get moving. Your local parks offer some of the best places to take a walk. Not only can get active, you can enjoy the benefits of being outdoors too. The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) assists local parks…
Paraplegia is the loss of motor or sensory function in the lower extremities of the body. But once lost, can this be restored? Research published in Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation investigated this, using just the mind to learn to walk again. Here, co-author of the work reveals more. When I was a young girl,…
Planning to attend the National Walking Summit? You can pre-register for the Safe Routes to School breakfast session with Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health on how to increase walking and physical activity among children and families and how to work with schools to encourage these efforts. You can find more information here.
We’ve always known walking is good for us — it burns calories, reduces stress and helps the environment. But we never knew how really great it is for us until the new Call to Action on Walking from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy, who explains, “An average of 22 minutes a day of physical…
Or, why we had to invent a name for a group of children walking to school with one or more adults. The simple act of walking to school can add much needed exercise into a child’s daily routine, but far fewer kids walk to school than they once did. Every October, International Walk to School…