The Demise of Walking
By Rod Corriveau
HEALTH OF TAMPA BAY
Part of my job over the years as an
urban planner has been an attempt to
“right’’ some of the “wrongs” in the design
of our cities and towns that were
developed after the automobile solid-
to ‘free’ us in our movement around
town and allow us the opportunity to
live in the ever-expanding suburbs has
arguably become a roundabout without
exits. Think of traversing the Howard
Franklin, driving down the Veterans,
or exiting I-75 at SR-56.
Some of the most interesting,
unique and exciting places to live,
work and play in Tampa Bay trace their
development roots back to the turn of
the previous century. Those communities
are augmented by a gridded street
network facilitating walking, bicycle
riding, jogging, and general pedestrian
movement. Most of these neighborhoods
were developed without an emphasis on the automobile,
but rather on a human scale in relation to the built
environment.
For example, placement and height of buildings, parks
and open spaces; street, sidewalk and block width, and use
of public transit through streetcars/trolleys and subsequent
transit stops were all important considerations in the layout
of urban design. The average city-dweller going
about their daily routine engaged in physical activity
by default because of the patterns of the built
environment, one in which activity was facilitated
by design.
Today, most city planning revolves around the
automobile and emphasis on private space versus
humans and their public realm. As a result, opportunities
for physical activity prove elusive at best.
Although we, as planners, try to replicate the great
neighborhoods designed and built prior to the auto
centric culture we hate and love at the same time,
With this realization, the incorporation of a daily
walk into our routine is essential today more than
ever to counter the effects of our modern sedentary
lifestyle. This is true whether we live in a newly
suburbs or in an interconnected downtown neighborhood.
too, such as lifting our mood and spirit, invigorating
us and facilitating weight control.
A mindful walk can cleanse the soul,
relieve stress and put our hectic life
into perspective by stimulating the
mind, potentially helping to address
Today, most of us may not be able to
walk to work or the store from our
house, but we can still take a daily therapeutic
walk one step at a time.
This column will talk about health;
your health, our health, our community’s
health and the interconnected
world in which we live, if ever so temporarily.
Awareness, self-realization
and a call to action to begin making
meaningful change in your life with
simple and small decisions that can
affect you, your family and the planet
for the rest of your life (and beyond)
is a primary objective. And although
there is so much in our community
that you personally may not have been
directly responsible for over the years,
decisions made today ultimately manifest
and culminate as our triumphs or
traumas. Remember, small daily decisions have a tendency to
magnify over time.
If you are ready to embark on a journey where we can
learn from each other, laugh with each other, and maybe even
cry together, join me as we discuss incrementally implementing
steps to awareness and improvement for you, your family
and our community.
FLORIDA WOMEN MAGAZINE 813.682.9364 AUGUST 2019 • 21
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