walkboston

Counterpoint to Ageism

BY ALTHEA WONG-ACHORN / DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

When November comes around in New England, even when we aren’t in the midst of a pandemic, our instinct is to hibernate until the springtime when the weather thaws. But last November, WalkBoston created a way to keep us moving, motivated, and connected.

Beat the Bay State (BTBS), a virtually-hosted team fitness challenge to run/walk “around” the 900-mile perimeter of Massachusetts, encouraged friends and families to come together to stay active through friendly competition. WalkBoston was thrilled to see people across the state sharing their photos and experiences, but was surprised to discover how many participants were older adults!

COVID-19 recommendations have been more restrictive for older adults, making them appear feeble compared to younger people. While responsibly practicing social distancing and wearing masks, however, this group also finds solace, community, and health benefits from outdoor activities.

Running, It’s Not Only For the Young

More than 450 people signed up for the inaugural BTBS Team Challenge. While many of our competitors were younger, a higher-than-anticipated number of older walkers and runners brought the average age up to 44, with the average age among the top 20 finishers being 48. Of the top 20 performers, in terms of miles logged, two were under the age of 30 and two were 65+. To top it off, the second-place winner was a 56-year-old man from Gardner who logged 404 total miles and averaged over 13 miles a day!

The State of Running, a 2018 report published by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and RunRepeat.com, breaks down how the age of runners is steadily climbing. It found that runners have never been older, increasing from an average age of 35.2 in 1986 to 39.3 in 2018.

Staying Active and Fit as You Age

BTBS highlights a common misconception about the link between increased age and decreased activity levels. Demographics are shifting: Running—and walking—are sports accessible to all ages, and the average age of runners is getting older with every passing year.

Running and walking are fantastic ways to stay fit, regardless of age. Anyone can get started with just a pair of shoes. You can walk or run by yourself, with your grandkids, or with a running club like the Greater Framingham Running Club (GFRC Growlers), which took first place in the Beat the Bay State Team Challenge.

As the evidence shows, motivation for daily walking and running has shifted from recording the fastest times or longest distances to staying social, keeping moving, and seeing your community on foot. So lace up and hit the pavement!

If you’re looking for new and interesting places to explore on foot, check out the nearly 80 walking maps available on the WalkBoston website at walkboston.org/resources/maps/. Each one features places that are wonderful to walk, easy to navigate, and convenient to get around, and most are transit accessible.

This article was featured in WalkBoston’s January/February 2021 newsletter.
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New Virtual Walk Audits: Worcester and Framingham

BY LEIGHANNE TAYLOR / WALKBOSTON PROGRAM MANAGER

Walk audits—one of WalkBoston’s most effective tools to change the built environment and build a constituency of walking advocates—face an obvious hurdle during the pandemic: we can’t meet in person. With more people walking than ever before, we could not hit pause and wait until it is safe to gather again. We adapted our walk audit process to be virtual to continue improving walking conditions. We have conducted four virtual walk audits since the pandemic began: in Salem, Springfield, Fitchburg, and Worcester—we wrapped up the latter two in January and discuss them below.

Fitchburg’s Intermodal Center Virtual Walk Audit is the second walk audit in a statewide project examining the connections between social infrastructure and walkability within transportation-oriented development (TOD) areas. Neighborhood data and resident perspectives will be captured in virtual conversations and self-led walk audits in five Gateway Cities in Massachusetts. This project is co-hosted by WalkBoston and MassINC, with support from the Solomon Foundation.

The Worcester Virtual Walk Audit was conducted by WalkBoston, WalkBike Worcester, and the Worcester Department of Public Health Mass in Motion Program. Residents requested the virtual audit, which is serving as a pilot program for Worcester’s upcoming Complete Streets Prioritization process.

How We Made Our Walk Audits Virtual

Session 1: Participants convene on Zoom for a Ped101 workshop to share their walking concerns, learn about walkability basics, and review the self-led walk audit process.
Self-led walk audit: Participants have two weeks to walk the specified route, and document photos and written observations about the walking environment.
Session 2: Post-walk, participants reconvene on Zoom to discuss and set plans for next steps.

We use Google Sites to share recordings of our Zoom meetings so those unable to attend the first session can watch and provide feedback on their neighborhood’s walkability. The recommendations made during the second session are summarized into a PowerPoint report and memo for participants to use and turn into actions.

Virtual walk audits have served as a valuable tool for conducting our community-partnered work in a socially- distanced world. While we look forward to resuming our in-person walk audits, we plan to leverage these digital engagement strategies in the future to hear from those unable to attend in-person. If you’re having success with virtual community engagement, we’d love to trade notes —get in touch!

Save the Date: Annual Celebration – 3/24, 5pm

Join us on March 24th (on Zoom) to celebrate & honor this year’s Golden Shoe winners!

Each March, we hold our Annual Celebration to honor achievements in walkability and to highlight the contributions of our wonderful volunteers, board members, and the many individuals and corporations who support us each year.

Our Golden Shoes Awards recognize individuals, agencies, municipalities and companies exemplifying the ideals of WalkBoston’s mission.

Congratulations to our 2021 Golden Shoes!

Frank Caro (in memoriam)
Kate Fichter and the MassDOT Shared Streets Grant Program Team (with special recognition to the Barr Foundation and Solomon Foundation)
Karen Cord Taylor

This year, we’re featuring a panel of speakers instead of a standard keynote address. The panel will be moderated by WalkBoston’s executive director Stacey Beuttell. Speakers include:

Tracy Corley, PhD – Director of Research and Partnerships at the Conservation Law Foundation
Mike McGinn – Executive Director at America Walks
Jodie Medeiros – Executive Director at Walk San Francisco
Alex Train, AICP – Director, Department of Housing and Community Development for the City of Chelsea

Registration is on a pay-as-you-can basis. Suggested donation $30.

Registration is open!

Corporate Support Flyer 2021

Why invest in WalkBoston?

Walkability contributes to the quality of life in a town or neighborhood, encouraging residents and visitors to shop locally; helping to attract retail, workplaces and associated employees; and raising real estate values, civic pride, and community involvement.

An investment in WalkBoston shows a commitment to promoting walkable business districts and neighborhoods. It shows your dedication to healthier, more productive employees and safer, more vibrant communities.

WalkBoston Sponsor Package (PDF)

Sign up for AAA Virtual Town Hall on Pedestrian Safety

On Monday, February 1st at 11am, Executive Director Stacey Beuttell will be a panelist for the AAA Northeast Virtual Town Hall which will feature their recent study “Tread Carefully: Examining the Rise in Pedestrian Deaths,” examining data from 2009-2018. You can sign up here & ask a question in advance.