The Walking College: Building the Local Capacity of the National Walking Movement

The Walking College: Building the Local Capacity of the National Walking Movement Ian Thomas, America Walks Faye Paige Edwards, GirlTrek Team Meeting of the National Physical Activity Society: October 15th, 2018

Introductions Faye Paige Edwards 2015 Walking College Fellow GirlTrek Team Organizer Ian Thomas State and Local Program Director America Walks

Outline Background on America Walks Overview of the Walking College Program The Walking College Fellowship Experience: Faye Paige Edwards (2015 Fellow) Outcomes from the First Two Years of the Walking College Upcoming Opportunities to Participate in the Walking College Other Technical Assistance Opportunities

ALASKA October, 2017: National Reach = 31,843 MAINE WASHINGTON NORTH DAKOTA MINNESOTA NEW VERMONT HAMPSHIRE OREGON IDAHO MONTANA WYOMING SOUTH DAKOTA WISCONSIN MICHIGAN NEW YORK PENNSYLVANIA MASSACHUSETTS RHODE ISLAND CONNECTICUT NEVADA NEBRASKA IOWA ILLINOIS INDIANA OHIO Washington D.C. WEST VIRGINIA NEW JERSEY DELAWARE MARYLAND CALIFORNIA UTAH COLORADO KANSAS MISSOURI KENTUCKY VIRGINIA NORTH CAROLINA HAWAII ARIZONA NEW MEXICO OKLAHOMA TEXAS ARKANSAS TENNESSEE MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA LOUISIANA GEORGIA SOUTH CAROLINA > 5,000 1,000-5,000 500 1,000 200-500 FLORIDA 100 200 < 100

www.americawalks.org @americawalks americawalks Walking - events, programs, promotion/education, partnerships and communications

www.americawalks.org @americawalks americawalks Walkability - advocacy for policy, systems, funding, and built environment changes

Logic Model Walking: Programs, Communications, Education Walkability: Policy, Public Funding, Infrastructure

Surgeon General s Call to Action on Walking and Walkable Communities 8 th September, 2015 Goal 1. Make Walking a National Priority Goal 2. Design Communities that Make It Safe and Easy to Walk for People of All Ages and Abilities Goal 3. Promote Programs and Policies to Support Walking Where People Live, Learn, Work, and Play Goal 4. Provide Information to Encourage Walking and Improve Walkability Goal 5. Fill Surveillance, Research, and Evaluation Gaps Related to Walking and Walkability

Strategies for Increasing Walking and Expanding Walkable Communities Increasing Walking: Events Walking programs Organized groups/coalitions Communications and outreach Data and research Expanding Walkable Communities: City planning processes Community advocacy campaigns Public policies (eg. Complete Streets, Vision Zero) Street design/engineering (pop-up projects) Public funding priorities

The Walking College americawalks.org/walkingcollege/ Six-month distance education Fellowship program: - May-August: Instructional modules - September: Attend national walking conference - October: Submit Walking Action Plan Walking College Fellows: - Local advocates - Community organizations - Professionals in public health, transportation, planning, etc. - Local elected officials - Students, teachers - Others?

2015 Class 2016 Class

2017 Class 2018 Class

2018 Walking College Mentors Jeanne Anthony Michia Casebier Anamarie Ferreira de Melo Geraldolyn Harris Mukul Malhotra Wendy Landman Eileen McCarthy Molly O Reilly Abby St. George Jonathon Stalls

Learning Objectives 1. Communicate effectively with a variety of audiences about the benefits of a walkable community; 2. Recruit and inspire other local advocates to join the movement, establish an organizational structure, write winning grant applications, and fund-raise; 3. Organize public events, programs, and communication campaigns that emphasize the need for improved walkability; 4. Engage professionals in multiple fields, including public health, planning and transportation, on the ways walkability affects their priorities;

Learning Objectives (cont.) 5. Navigate the structure of local and state government and engage elected officials in conversations about walkability; 6. Design and implement effective policy campaigns, such as reducing speed limits and requiring complete streets; 7. Research, understand, and communicate data to support campaigns.

Instructional Modules Module #1: Why Walking? Module #2: Developing Leadership Module #3: Building a Movement Mid-term break Module #4: Designing for People Module #5: Changing the System Module #6: Planning Campaigns

Expectations for Fellows Commit 5-10 hours/week to the program Complete all study assignments and community activities Prepare for and participate fully in all videointeractive discussion forums Attend Walk-Bike-Places conference in New Orleans (funding assistance will be provided) Develop a Walking Action Plan" for your community Work hard and have fun!

Outline Full cost of program ~ $5,000 per Fellow Walking College Fellows actually pay: - $100 Walking College registration fee - Personal travel costs to national conference America Walks provides, free of charge: - Conference registration - Shared-room hotel stay for four nights

Faye Paige Edwards Walking College Fellow GirlTrek Organizer

St Louis an FHA Focus City

Speeding Cars Threaten our Safety

www.girltrek.org

Traffic Calming Demos Pop-Ups

Temporary Designs

Clocked Speed. Recorded Perceptions.

With and without demos

Fun, Inexpensive Material

The Fix-It Crew

Outcomes Study Conducted survey in the fall of 2017 Asked 2015 and 2016 Walking College Fellows - Progress towards WAP goals - Specific walking/walkability milestones 38 out of 47 Fellows (81% response rate) completed the survey Working in 24 different states plus Washington, DC

Walking Action Plan (WAP) Completions Fellows reporting 100% completion of WAP goals: Laural Ruggles established a Walk Bike Advisory Committee for the Town of St. Johnsbury, VT Ann Mansfield engaged 5 public health departments and 8 rural hospital to participate in a messaging and communications campaign promoting walking and walkability in NE Iowa Faye Paige Edwards successfully advocated for a Traffic Calming Ordinance that was passed by the St. Louis, MO Board of Alderman

Diversity of Project Types Other examples of Fellows WAP goals: Phil Hanson: Obtain Walk-Friendly Community status for Columbus, OH (90% complete) Amanda Luecker: Launch a Safe Routes to Transit program in Phoenix, AZ (72%) Josy Delaney: Design and implement the Explore Malone (NY) Walk/Bike Challenge (60%) Jill Hamilton Buss: Conduct walk audits at 10 schools in Winter Park, FL, and develop infrastructure plans to overcome identified barriers (50%) Sarah Martin: Adopt a Vision Zero policy for the City of Buffalo (10%)

Specific Walking/Walkability Outcomes A total of 46 specific outcomes were identified in seven categories: Partnership Development Walking Events and Programs Education and Communications Research and Planning Public Policy Infrastructure Funding Questions: 1. Has the outcome occurred in your community? 2. To what extent did your participation in the Walking College contribute?

Outcomes Accomplished Within 1-2 years of the 38 Fellows creating their WAPs: A total of 592 outcomes occurred in their communities Fellows participation in the Walking College contributed to 441 (83%) of these outcomes The Walking College contributed entirely or mostly to 160 (30%) of these outcomes

Outcomes within the 7 Categories Categories in which an individual or organization can largely control the outcome: Partnership Development: 93 outcomes (21%) Walking Events and Programs: 83 outcomes (19%) Education and Communications: 93 outcomes (21%) Categories in which community-wide processes and/or government action are required: Research and Planning: 44 outcomes (10%) Public Policy: 45 outcomes (10%) Infrastructure: 65 outcomes (15%) Funding: 28 outcomes (6%)

Most Common Outcomes Most common individual outcomes related to the Walking College were: Community event(s) held (27 Fellows, 71%) New partnership/coalition formed (25 Fellows, 66%) Walkability audit(s) conducted (24 Fellows, 63%) Public speaking opportunity delivered (24 Fellows, 63%)

New Policies Adopted New policies were adopted in 20 communities as a result of the Walking College: Vision Zero policies in 2 communities (Austin, TX and Blair County, PA) Complete Streets policies in 6 communities Other policies in 12 communities

2019 Walking College Application Process Opens Feb. 1st

Iowa Walking College iowahealthieststate.com/resources/communities/ walkable-communities/iowa-walking-college/