Walkability
Jun. 9th, 2026 11:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithWard Walks
Here in Batavia, Illinois, our Local Conversation group helps to bridge the walkability perception gap by running what we call Ward Walks, wherein we take a walk around town to see just how easy it is to reach common destinations. And what is perhaps the most commonly desired destination than an ice cream shop?
Being able to take a walk to get ice cream on a whim is practically a quintessential American ideal, which makes it ironic that it’s so hard to do in so many of our towns and cities. It’s precisely this expectation that the Ward Walks highlight. As the name implies, each walk highlights a different ward (i.e., political district) around town, starting at a city park and traversing toward an ice cream spot before walking back.
This is something that anyone interested in community can do: walk (or roll, whatever) around your neighborhood. See what amenities you can or can't reach that way. Is there at least one place to eat, to shop for everyday needs, to touch grass? Is there a church, a school, a health care facility, some sort of recreation? And so on. What you learn will be useful in any local activism for improving your hometown.
Here in Batavia, Illinois, our Local Conversation group helps to bridge the walkability perception gap by running what we call Ward Walks, wherein we take a walk around town to see just how easy it is to reach common destinations. And what is perhaps the most commonly desired destination than an ice cream shop?
Being able to take a walk to get ice cream on a whim is practically a quintessential American ideal, which makes it ironic that it’s so hard to do in so many of our towns and cities. It’s precisely this expectation that the Ward Walks highlight. As the name implies, each walk highlights a different ward (i.e., political district) around town, starting at a city park and traversing toward an ice cream spot before walking back.
This is something that anyone interested in community can do: walk (or roll, whatever) around your neighborhood. See what amenities you can or can't reach that way. Is there at least one place to eat, to shop for everyday needs, to touch grass? Is there a church, a school, a health care facility, some sort of recreation? And so on. What you learn will be useful in any local activism for improving your hometown.
