Who is Dan Burden?

Dan Burden is the Director of Innovation and Inspiration at Blue Zones, as well as cofounder and former Executive Director of the Walkable and Livable Communities (WALC) Institute, a nonprofit organization that works throughout North America and the world to create healthy, connected communities that support active …

What is a Walkable community?

A neighborhood’s walkability is the degree to which it has safe, designated areas for people to walk or bike to work, dining, shopping and entertainment venues. Walkable communities are often touted as being easier to get around and fostering a greater sense of community.

Why are Walkable communities important?

Why Walkability? Walkable, pedestrian infrastructure is a key element of a “Complete Community.” Walkable communities encourage pedestrian activity, expand transportation options, and have safe and inviting pedestrian infrastructure is accessible and serves people of all ages and abilities.

What are the features of a walkable community?

According to Walk Score, just seven characteristics, as follows:

  • A center. Walkable neighborhoods have a center, whether it’s a main street or a public space.
  • People.
  • Mixed income, mixed use.
  • Parks and public space.
  • Pedestrian design.
  • Schools and workplaces.
  • Complete streets.

How do you create a walkable community?

What Makes a City Walkable?

  1. Community: Having enough people to support businesses.
  2. Safe Pedestrian Infrastructure: Offering easily accessible transit services, complete streets and safe paths for biking or walking.
  3. Affordable Housing: Providing attainable housing at varying income levels.

What makes a walkable community better for families?

A pedestrian-friendly sidewalk and street design results in reduced traffic speeds, encourages residents to be more active outside their homes, and increases a neighborhood engagement that is believed to reduce crime. Slower traffic speeds encourage drivers to be more alert and aware of their surroundings.

What impact can building active and walkable communities have?

Making walking easier can also help communities by improving safety, increasing interaction between residents, improving local economies, and reducing air pollution.

What makes a place more walkable?

For a place to call itself “walkable”, there needs to be enough within your walkshed that you can accomplish most trips (other than commuting) on foot. To measure if a trip is walkable, there are four factors we should consider: safety, distance, convenience, and comfort.

How will you promote physical activity in your community?

Creating or modifying environments to make it easier for people to walk or bike helps increase physical activity and can make our communities better places to live. Communities designed to support physical activity are often called active communities.

How does physical activity benefit the community?

Taking part in physical activity increases opportunities for socialization, networking and cultural identity. Physical activity has a positive influence on the community and society by promoting social interaction and cohesion.

What is the least walkable city in the US?

Fayetteville, North Carolina
1. Fayetteville, North Carolina. Fayetteville is rated the country’s least walkable city, with a rock-bottom low Walk Score of 20.4 out of 100.

Which city walks the most?

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Rank City Walk Score
1 New York, NY 88.3
2 San Francisco, CA 87.4
3 Boston, MA 82.0
4 Philadelphia, PA 78.8

Who is the director of Walkable Communities Inc?

Dan Burden is the Director of Walkable Communities, who teams with Glatting Jackson and other team members as needed for specific projects from universities, city and county governments, consulting firms or retired business or political leaders who have made a difference in their towns and cities.

What does Dan Burden do for a living?

In his work, Dan brings together many disciplines and issues — such as street design, public safety, economic development and land-use planning — to create a holistic vision for healthy communities that are pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly. He is considered an international expert in walkability, bikeability, traffic calming, and road diets.

What makes a community a walkable community?

It was organized for the express purposes of helping whole communities, whether they are large cities or small towns, or parts of communities, i.e. neighborhoods, business districts, parks, school districts, subdivisions, specific roadway corridors, etc., become more walkable and pedestrian friendly. It is the organization’s premise that:

What does Dan Burden mean by healthy streets?

Burden describes how healthy street design can make streets safer and more attractive while addressing many of the problems of conventional street design. He explains that healthy streets create healthy neighborhoods, meeting the community’s basic needs and dismantling the conventional auto-dominated street hierarchy.