Everyone benefits from walking. These benefits include: improved fitness, cleaner air, reduced risks of certain health problems, and a greater sense of community. But walking needs to be safe and easy. 

Take a walk with your child and use our Walkability Checklist (PDF, 237.66 KB) to decide if your neighborhood is a friendly place to walk. Take heart if you find problems; there are ways you can make things better.

First, you’ll need to pick a place to walk, like the route to school, a friend’s house or just somewhere fun to go. 

The second step involves the checklist. Read over the checklist before you go, and as you walk, note the locations of things you would like to change. At the end of your walk, give each question a rating. Then add up the numbers to see how you rated your walk overall.

After you’ve rated your walk and identified any problem areas, the next step is to find out what you can do to improve your community’s score. You’ll find both immediate answers and long-term solutions to improve your community’s score on the third page.