Kate Hall Active Transportation Consultant, Canada Walks Green Communities Canada

 Introduction to Canada Walks  Why being walk friendly is so important  WALK Friendly Ontario  Status update

Vision: A Canada where everyone can enjoyably, easily and safely walk to school, work, play, shopping and transit. Mission of Canada Walks To help communities be more walk friendly by:  Raising awareness of the health, economic, social and environmental benefits,  Inspiring and celebrating success,  Sharing resources and best practice on infrastructure, policy and programs,  Bringing partners together to make walking happen.

  Walkolution News  ASRTS / School Travel Planning  Walk21 Conference & Roadshow – 2007  World Record Walk – 2007  Ontarians Walking Now (OWN)  Ontario Communities walkON  Canadian Walkability Master Class   Walking and Wheeling to School  WALK Friendly Ontario

 Safety  Inclusive  Social Cohesion  Health  Environment  Economy  Mental health & happiness  Peak car

 Peak hours for pedestrian collisions coincide with peaks in traffic volume  76% of fatalities occurred in urban areas  75% of fatalities occurred on arterial roads that carry high volumes of traffic.  60% of pedestrians killed were trying to cross the road  31% of pedestrian were hit at a mid-block location while crossing

 Chronic disease such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and hypertension are increasing  91% of Canadian children & youth, and 51% of adults are not getting recommended levels of daily physical activity  Rates of obesity, especially in children are on the rise  Rising costs of health care

r 2 =0.5 Source: Jason Gilliland (2010) “The Built Environment and Obesity: Trimming Waistlines through Neighbourhood Design” in Canadian Cities in Transition (4 th Edition) Oxford University.

 Recent studies show an overwhelming preference to live in walk friendly, transit supportive neighbourhoods  Hamilton – pedestrian and transit-oriented environments attract creative jobs “Walkable environments should be viewed as economic infrastructure that attracts employment and should be invested in accordingly.”

 Walking and cycling to local shops is good for business and good for the local economy and is essential to the success of revitalization strategies.  Streetscape enhancements add value to an area and are associated with higher rents and the attraction of new businesses.  Evidence shows that improving walking and cycling environments raises private property values by significant amounts.

WFO is a recognition program that encourages municipalities to create and improve spaces and places to walk, by awarding bronze, silver, gold, or platinum designations.

 Planning & Policy  Engineering & Community Design  Placemaking  Education & Encouragement  Enforcement  Evaluation

iCANwalk.ca

“What does not get measured does not count!”

“Walkers are the indicator species of a vibrant community.” (Dr. Rodney Tolley, Walk21)  What does not get measured does not count!  If we want to make the case for investment, then we need to have evidence.

 The WFO assessment tool contains information and resources to assist you in continuously improving walking conditions for your community  Build stronger relationships in your community around walkability  Results in a great internal resource documenting all walking-related programs, projects, and policies in one place  Designation as a Walk Friendly Community is a valuable factor in attraction & retention

 Website launched on May 3 rd  Promotion to raise profile of walking & build excitement for the program  Final draft of Assessment Tool  Final draft Application Guide  Pilot with 6 communities Oct-Nov  Currently seeking corporate sponsorship for roll out in 2013

 City of Hamilton  City of London  City of Thunder Bay  City of Kingston  Town of Fort Erie  Municipality of South Huron (Exeter)

Pilot communities are:  Completing the Assessment Tool which will serve as the application for designation  Evaluating the Tool, Application Guide and website to provide feedback: - Is it user friendly? - Did the questions make sense? - Was the information asked for readily available? - Were the resources on the website helpful?

THANK YOU Kate Hall