Whenever you consider walkability, do you think about an city streetscape? The fact is that rural communities designed round a foremost road with native outlets, providers, housing, and establishments for civic life present gathering areas that make them perfect candidates for walkability.
Throughout a current webinar on the subject, visitors Shane Hampton, Senior Supervisor for Thriving Communities at Most important Road America; Stefanie Mitchell, Council Member for the City of Westville, Oklahoma; and Amy Miller, Program Officer for Most important Road America, shared tales of how rural communities throughout the US are prioritizing walkability as they enhance their foremost streets and downtown areas.
Shane started by introducing Most important Road America, which leads a motion dedicated to strengthening communities by means of preservation-based financial growth in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood business districts. Most important Road America additionally labored with 20 communities — centered on Tribal, rural, and small-town communities — by means of the U.S. Division of Transportation’s Thriving Communities program to strategy their very own transportation challenges.
Rural communities face distinctive challenges, however they’re extra appropriate with walkability than you would possibly assume. “Many rural locations are arrange with the bones to help walkability,” mentioned Shane, and interventions to make communities extra walkable have constructive results on well being, security, accessibility, economics (together with tourism), social ties, and total high quality of life.
Stefanie, a lifelong resident of Westville, Oklahoma, turned volunteer Council Member, spoke in regards to the effort to revitalize her small city of 1,600 individuals and break the cycle of persistent generational poverty by investing within the constructed setting. The breakthrough win for Westville — the “spark that lit the hearth,” in accordance with Stefanie — got here within the type of a splash pad in downtown, which led to the constructing of a pavilion and higher lighting alongside the close by strolling path, in addition to improved public loos.
From there, Westville turned its consideration to walkability, working with the College of Oklahoma’s Institute for High quality Communities to conduct a three-day group engagement session with residents and create a plan to show a vacant lot right into a city sq.. The college additionally supplied a design for an improved downtown with a deal with walkability to attach the college district, city park, senior citizen housing, medical middle, and different very important providers.
The impression has been profound, bringing in new companies, new housing, elevated civic group participation, and future funding alternatives. These efforts, Stefanie famous, have impressed a satisfaction of possession the individuals of Westville are taking of their city.
Amy shared a case research from Elgin, a small city situated 19 miles east of Austin in central Texas that has spent the final 20 years specializing in bettering walkability and downtown revitalization. One problem of such efforts is when there are vital infrastructure ties to the Division of Transportation, akin to highways which can be unsafe and disconnect individuals from crucial providers and group ties. By prioritizing sidewalk building, nevertheless, Elgin went from “good luck getting there” to raised connectivity, together with to transit nodes, as Elgin participates in a rural transit system that connects residents to Austin and different communities.
What was the crucial piece of those efforts? The plans, together with planning processes that allowed residents to check what Elgin may very well be and share what they needed to see shifting ahead. Combining these efforts with different plans, akin to Secure Routes to College plans, allowed for higher connectivity over time to colleges, neighborhoods, adjoining business districts, and parks.
Then there’s the necessity for ongoing group engagement. Past print and social media promotion, it’s about going to residents, not merely anticipating them to come back to you. Amy talked about that meet-and-greets at espresso outlets and college occasions are key to establishing these relationships and acquiring group buy-in — particularly in the case of shifting public attitudes towards walkability in rural locations the place driving is the default.
In the course of the Q and A, Stefanie additionally addressed the necessity to shift attitudes by involving the group within the planning and growth course of. “Folks wish to really feel like they’re a part of that story.”
It’s additionally about stepping again and searching on the group’s values, added Shane. Each determination we make about the suitable of approach is vital.
The panelists additionally touched on viewers questions on funding for small city growth that helps walkability, notably within the present federal funding setting. They pressured that constructing a coalition of companions can help each the success of planning efforts in communities in addition to competitiveness for federal funding. There’s additionally the potential to establish further funding sources by partaking with native and regional companions.
Westville, mentioned Stefanie, banded along with three different small communities to use for and win a Secure Streets for All grant, and partnered with the College of Oklahoma to conduct group engagement.
One of the best ways ahead is to “maintain planning and maintain constructing partnerships,” inspired Shane. “Attain out to regional companions — universities, banks, Tribal governments… Make progress [and] maintain working to remain aggressive for federal grants.”
