Our efforts focus on two types of activities: (1) development of programs, strategies, and materials for educating the public and policy makers about walking and its benefits to the community; and (2) promotion of pedestrian-friendly design standards, development regulations, and projects. Self-Guided Walking Tour Guides. WALK Albuquerque has partnered with neighborhood associations and other organizations to develop a series of walking tour guides. The guides focus on neighborhoods and places throughout the Albuquerque area. They include maps of recommended walking routes and narrative descriptions of interesting things to see along the way. Their purpose is to encourage residents and visitors to experience Albuquerque on foot and gain a greater appreciation of the benefits and pleasures of walking. To date, six of the guides have been published for general public use. These focus on the Duranes, Nob Hill, Raynolds, West Park, and Pat Hurley neighborhoods and on the Griegos Drain in and around Los Poblanos Open Space. Professionally printed versions of the guides are available at most city libraries and other locations. The guides can also be downloaded as PDF files for home printing: > Raynolds (Please note: Librarians who are interested in obtaining bulk refill quantities of any of the walking tour guides should call 505 – 710 – 9455.) Walkability Education Course. WALK Albuquerque has developed a walkability education course entitled “Walking and Rolling around Albuquerque”. The course is targeted to the general public and is taught through the Division of Continuing Education at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. To register, please visit the Continuing Education web site (http://dce.unm.edu). (Note that the course is classified in the “Personal Enrichment” category and is listed as course number 10690.) Course instructors are Kathy Chilton, Diane Scena, Carolina Yahne. Neighborhood leaders, elected officials, public health professionals, people in wheelchairs, and people with visual impairments are especially encouraged to participate. The course uses our six neighborhood walking tour guides as a teaching tool. No textbook is required. Copies of the walking tour guides are provided for students by the instructors. Students and instructors meet a total of seven times. One of the meetings takes place in a classroom setting and six involve walking outdoors along each of the neighborhood tour routes. Students and instructors together discuss how conditions for pedestrians could be improved. There are also discussions of how walkability principles could be applied to other neighborhoods. The class meets on Saturday mornings from 9 AM to noon. Here are the dates for this year’s class:
If you have any questions about the course, or if you wish to obtain more information, please contact Carolina Yahne via email. Her address is cyahne “at” unm “dot” edu. (You’ll need to add the “at” and “dot” symbols yourself; we do this to help prevent Carolina from being targeted by spammers.) >Back to Top Neighborhood Walks.WALK Albuquerque periodically sponsors or co-sponsors walks at various locations in the Albuquerque area. Examples include downtown-area neighborhoods, neighborhoods in the Nob Hill area, and ditch trails in the North and South Valleys. The walks are usually open to the general public and are entirely free. Walk Audits.WALK Albuquerque has developed a process for assessing pedestrian mobility and safety conditions along city streets and elsewhere in the community. The audit process serves a number of purposes, including educating the public about walk opportunities and constraints and providing input to the development of municipal land use plans and other planning and programming documents. Special Events.WALK Albuquerque has routinely participated in Earth Day celebrations, transportation fairs, and other events. These events provide opportunities for answering questions and distributing pedestrian safety and other information to the general public. Safe Routes to Schools. Forty years ago, more than 40 percent of American children age 5 to 18 walked or bicycled to school. Today, that proportion has fallen to just 16 percent. Fewer kids walking means poorer student health, less childhood independence, bad air quality around schools, and more traffic congestion in our neighborhoods. Funding for Pedestrian Infrastructure. WALK Albuquerque members have been leaders in advocating for increased attention and funding for pedestrian facilities and programs by municipalities, counties, school districts, and other governmental entities in the Middle Rio Grande region. Participation in Planning Processes. WALK Albuquerque representatives periodically serve on various committees addressing community planning and other concerns. WALK Albuquerque members have contributed substantial time and effort to the development of several important planning projects in Albuquerque and elsewhere in the region. Development and Design Reviews. When possible, WALK Albuquerque has sought to provide input and commentary on urban development and street design projects in our region with a goal of making them more pedestrian-friendly. Public Speaking. WALK Albuquerque leaders occasionally speak on topics related to walkability at professional planning conferences, city council meetings, planning commission meetings, university planning and design classes, and other venues.
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