Walkboston Inc

WALKBOSTON MAKES WALKING SAFER AND EASIER IN MASSACHUSETTS TO ENCOURAGE BETTER HEALTH, A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT AND VIBRANT COMMUNITIES.

OUTREACH, ADVOCACY AND EDUCATION:ADVOCACY EFFORTS - WALKBOSTON'S ADVOCACY LEADS TO SAFER STREETS, MORE WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS, COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT, AND GREATER AWARENESS OF THE HEALTH, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF WALKING. WALKBOSTON SPEAKS UP FOR PEOPLE WALKING IN BOSTON AND ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH ON MANY ISSUES INCLUDING TRAFFIC SIGNAL TIMING, NEIGHBORHOOD WALKING CONDITIONS, TRAFFIC CALMING STRATEGIES, VISION ZERO, COMPLETE STREETS POLICIES, AND NEIGHBORHOOD SLOW STREETS PROGRAMS. OUR ADVOCACY EFFORTS INCLUDE LETTER WRITING, SPEAKING AT PUBLIC MEETINGS, AND BUILDING STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIPS TO ADVANCE THE WALKING AGENDA. THROUGH PRESENTATIONS, WALKS AND DISCUSSIONS WITH RESIDENTS, ENGINEERS, PLANNERS AND AGENCY STAFF, WE ALSO SHARE OUR KNOWLEDGE TO SUPPORT AND EMPOWER PEOPLE TO SPEAK UP FOR WALKING IN THEIR OWN NEIGHBORHOODS.OUTREACH STRATEGIES - WE WORK WITH FELLOW ADVOCATES TO ADVANCE A VISION OF ROAD DESIGN THAT SAFELY AND ATTRACTIVELY SERVES THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WALKING, BIKING, AND RIDING TRANSIT, INCLUDING PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES, WHILE ALSO HELPING TO CREATE A TRANSPORTATION FUTURE THAT REDUCES OUR DEPENDENCE ON SINGLE-OCCUPANCY VEHICLES. IN ADDITION, WE WORK EXTENSIVELY WITH COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUAL ACTIVISTS IN MANY OF BOSTON'S NEIGHBORHOODS, IN THE STATE'S GATEWAY CITIES, AND IN SMALLER SUBURBAN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH. WE ALSO HOST THE WALKMASSACHUSETTS NETWORK WHICH CONNECTS AND SUPPORTS NEW, EMERGING, AND EXISTING LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS WORKING ON WALKING. FINALLY, WALKBOSTON PROMOTES WALKABILITY ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, DIGITAL E-NEWS, WRITTEN PUBLICATIONS AND MAPS, AND ON-THE-GROUND WORKSHOPS.

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE:TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE - WALKBOSTON PROVIDES MISSION-BASED WALKABILITY AND ADVOCACY CONSULTING BASED ON OUR OVER 30-YEAR HISTORY OF MAKING PLACES MORE WALKABLE ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH. OUR TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND DEDICATION TO WALKABILITY THAT IS ROOTED IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS WE SERVE GALVANIZES SUPPORT AND EMPOWERS PEOPLE TO ADVOCATE FOR SAFER, HEALTHIER, AND MORE ENJOYABLE STREETS. THAT SAID, WE KNOW THAT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY MEANS DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE DEPENDING ON THEIR AGE, GENDER, RACE, ETHNICITY, ABILITY OR EXPERIENCE. OUR APPROACH DRAWS ON THE EXPERTISE AND DESIRES OF RESIDENTS, COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND MUNICIPAL STAFF. WE PROVIDE A WIDE VARIETY OF PRESENTATIONS AND TRAININGS, AND FACILITATE DISCUSSIONS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO ENGAGE PEOPLE ABOUT WALKING, AND THE SIDEWALK AND ROAD DESIGN ELEMENTS THAT AFFECT THE SAFETY AND QUALITY OF THE WALKING ENVIRONMENT.WE ALSO CONDUCT MULTI-SESSION TRAINING PROGRAMS WITH RESIDENT GROUPS AND YOUTH, WHERE PARTICIPANTS IDENTIFY AREAS WITHIN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES THAT NEED WALKABILITY IMPROVEMENTS, DEVELOP PROPOSALS FOR CHANGE, AND PRESENT THEIR IDEAS TO LOCAL ELECTED OFFICIALS AND OTHER DECISION-MAKING BODIES. THESE PROGRAMS ENCOURAGE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND EMPOWER COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO MAKE CHANGE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.

WALKING POLICY AND DESIGN:STATEWIDE PROJECT AND POLICY REVIEW - OUR PROJECT REVIEWS HELP ENSURE THAT TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS PROVIDE SAFE AND CONNECTED PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENTS. WE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO SIGNIFICANT MASSDOT ROADWAY PROJECTS AND LARGE PRIVATE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS. IN BOSTON, WE HAVE BEEN AN ACTIVE I-90 INTERCHANGE PROJECT TASK FORCE MEMBER FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS, WORKING TO BROADEN THE SCOPE OF THE TRANSPORTATION PROJECT TO EMBRACE THE IDEA OF IMPROVED, CONNECTED PARKLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF THE CHARLES RIVER. WE ADVOCATE FOR POLICIES AND GUIDELINES TO IMPROVE WALKING. OUR VOICE FOR WALKING IS STRENGTHENED BY WORKING WITH OTHER MOBILITY, ENVIRONMENTAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS. WE UNDERSTAND THAT HOUSING, CLIMATE RESILIENCY AND PUBLIC HEALTH POLICIES ALL CONTRIBUTE TO FOSTERING NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE PEOPLE CAN WALK AND FEEL A SENSE OF BELONGING. THROUGH MEMBERSHIP IN MULTIPLE ISSUE-BASED COALITIONS, WE HAVE BROADENED OUR IMPACT BEYOND TRANSPORTATION-SPECIFIC POLICIES TO OTHERS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO HEALTHY, STABLE NEIGHBORHOODS AND SEEK MOBILITY JUSTICE.AGE-FRIENDLY WALKING - WALKBOSTON IS WORKING TO IMPLEMENT LOCAL POLICY AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT CHANGES THAT ADVANCE SAFE, COMFORTABLE AND ACCESSIBLE WALKING FOR SENIORS IN SEVERAL MASSACHUSETTS COMMUNITIES, WITH A FOCUS ON HIGH-NEED GATEWAY CITIES AND RURAL AREAS. WE COLLABORATE WITH THE MASSACHUSETTS HEALTHY AGING COLLABORATIVE AND OTHER LEADERS ACROSS THE STATE TO PROMOTE WALKING AND WALKABILITY AS CORE ELEMENTS OF THE AGE- AND DEMENTIA-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES MOVEMENT.