America Walks: HOME

Pedestrian Safety Campaigns

In the United States, traffic safety campaigns to save the lives of drivers have been extensive and well-funded efforts.  Campaigns to save the lives of people outside of the car too often suffer from a blame-the-victim attitude.  America Walks is presently updating a compilation of Pedestrian Safety Campaigns, resources, and elements from the US, Canada, Europe and Australia.

TRB Research Problem Statements

The Transportation Research Board is the central scientific coordinating organization for U.S. transportation research. A division of the National Academy of Sciences, this community of researchers, professionals, administrators, and policy makers comes together for the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington, DC every January.  The Pedestrians Committee for TRB includes two America Walks board members. To learn more, and to access the list of research problem statements for this committee, visit the TRB Pedestrians Committee web site.

Public Health Research

Since 2000, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have funded a significant amount of research on walking and walkability. 

Active Living Research (RWJF National Program Office) 

CDC Research Projects:

• Healthy Aging Research Network
• Physical Activity Policy Research Network
• Health Impact Assessment
  
• HIA-USA Health Impact Assessment listserv (hosted by Feet First)
  

Consultants Grassroots Research Network

Fehr & Peers and America Walks convened a meeting at the Walk Bike California conference in Davis, CA in September 2007.  Participants recognized that there is a tremendous need for reliable knowledge about how to make our communities more walkable.  In many areas, insufficient Federal research funding means that local and state decision makers are hamstrung. Participants expressed the importance of an increase in Federal research funding in next transportation authorization, and they pledged to work together as consultants and grassroots advocates in the mean time.

Consultants and grassroots organizations have a strong capacity for conducting network-based research projects.  Consultants need to increase their knowledge base and America Walks' grassroots network attracts volunteers and organizations with significant knowledge and capabilities. This synergy offers an opportunity to take a leadership role and to fill unmet needs.

America Walks and Fehr & Peers are in the process of defining two prioritized research areas, and will launch this research initiative in 2008.