Tapping the Power of Place to Keep Us All Healthy (Republished)
Folks in disadvantaged neighborhoods lead less healthy lives, due to freeways, lack of food options and other measures beyond their control.
Author: Jay Walljasper
The Surprising Future of Bicycling: 12 Reasons Why Its Popularity Will Continue to Soar
For too long biking has been viewed skeptically as a white-people thing, a big city thing, an ultra-fit athlete thing, a twenty-something thing, a warm weather thing or an upper-middle class thing. And above all else, it’s seen as a guy thing. But guess what? The times they are a-changing. More than 100 million Americans […]
2017 Walking Summit in Saint Paul – A Review
Science now backs the ancient wisdom that walking is good for your mental health. But as pedestrian deaths rise, a Walking Summit looks at solutions.
The Positive Power of Walking
National Summit Showcases Health, Economic and Social Justice Benefits of Walkable Communities Many things leap to mind when someone mentions walking: fitness, fun, fresh air, relaxation, friends and maybe your most comfortable pair of shoes. But a word that rarely arises is “power”. That will begin to change after the 2017 National Walking Summit (held […]
How Saint Paul’s 8 80 Vitality Fellowship Spread a Vision of Equity, Prosperity & Fun
It’s a brilliantly blue winter day, and a happy crowd in downtown Saint Paul dispels the myth that Minnesotans hibernate from November to May. Smiles erupt as people sip hot chocolate, build a snowman, cluster in threes and fours for animated conversation, and gobble food truck burritos at café tables. A young woman hands out […]
20 Reasons Americans are Rediscovering Walking
Following Surgeon General’s prescription, Americans have rediscovered that a simple stroll is good for health, happiness and social harmony. Walking is not just a good idea, it’s a growing movement that can boost our health, happiness, economy and sense of social harmony. This article outlines 20 signs that walking is picking up speed across America—a […]
How to Make City Streets More Friendly
Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt from author Jay Walljasper’s new book, America’s Walking Renaissance. A bottom-up St. Paul project changes how people feel about their city Laughter, lively music and lip-smacking appreciation of food from many cultures animates St. Anthony Avenue in St. Paul, Minnesota as a crowd whoops it up at the Better […]
Life in the Green Lane
How to describe your first time in a green lane? There’s nothing quite like it. For me it happened on a business trip to Copenhagen. I saw bikes everywhere, beginning with the taxi ride from the airport where I spotted business executives toting briefcases on bikes, wanna-be fashion models wearing high heels on bikes, kids […]