Author: Jay Walljasper

Jay Walljasper

Jay Walljasper

Jay Walljasper—author of The Great Neighborhood Book and America’s Walking Renaissance [which you can download for free: http://americawalks.org/americas-walking-renaissance/]— writes, speaks and consults about how to create great communities. He is urban-writer-in-residence at Augsburg College and Senior Fellow at Project for Public Spaces. His website is: JayWalljasper.com.

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 […]

Tapping the Power of Place to Keep Us All Healthy

One number stands above all others as the best indicator of good health.  It’s not your blood pressure, cholesterol level, average daily calories or even the age at which your grandparents die.  It’s your zip code. This fact has sent shockwaves across the county.  The chief aspiration of American democracy is that everyone deserves an […]

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 […]

Dance at bridge celebration

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 […]