Step It Up! The Surgeon General's Call to Action

Recently, the Surgeon General has issued a call to action to promote more walkable communities. This call is so urgent that he describes walking as a national priority. The call to increase walking has been issued for many reasons. First of all, there are a great deal of benefits that come fro walking everyday. Walking can reduce one's chance of chronic illness, as well as premature death. Walking can also help the 50% of U.S. adults suffering from chronic illnesses by reducing their symptoms. Walking can also benefit our nation's youth by improving bone health, body composition, and muscular fitness in their developing bodies. It is recommended that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise every week, while children and adolescence should be active for at least 60 minutes a day.

Walking is a public health strategy because it is easy to do and does not require any special skills. The hope is that walking will not only have physical benefits, but social ones as well. Walkable communities would promote social interactions among people living or working in the same geographic areas. Walking cities would also have external benefits as well. For example, walking cities are very attractive to new businesses, which would therefore help local economies. Having more people walking would consequently result in fewer cars on the road. This would reduce vehicle related accidents as well as air pollution and greenhouse gases. Overall, implementing walkable cities has more benefits than negative consequences on both the public and personal levels of a community.

Some main reasons why people do not walk are that they feel they do not have enough time and they are concerned for their safety. There are many suggestions put forth by the Surgeon General that could reduce risks and increase walking. For example, streets could be designed with walking in mind in order to ensure the safety of pedestrians by properly maintaining sidewalks and cross walks. Work can also be done to locate residences within short walking distances to stores, public transportation, and schools. Reducing traffic speed and improving street lighting are also steps that can be taken to promote and improve walkability.

Another important topic brought up by the Surgeon General is how to increase walking on college campuses. The article explains how promoting walking to college students will help them develop healthy and environmentally friendly habits for the rest of their lives. In order to do this however, college administrations must work to make their campuses walkable. This can be done by having dorms located close to classrooms, libraries, and other common destinations.

It is interesting to compare the structure of the walking campaign laid out by the Surgeon General to that of Street Fight author, Sadik-Khan. She also believes that communities must be more walkable, but she does not base her argument in the health benefits like the Surgeon General does. She focuses on the social and community benefits that result from walking cities. She demonstrates this on page 75 by saying, "sidewalk design can encourage walking by creating opportunities for things to do and see along the way." This quote shows the social aspects of walking because it encourages people to go see and do things with other walkers in the community. Sadik-Khan's approach to walkable communities analyzes how better sidewalks can promote a greater sense of community in any given city.

The basic argument of this document from the Surgeon General is that walking is good for individuals and for communities as a whole. JMU can take advice from this article and create more walkable possibilities and opportunities not only for students on campus, but for off-campus residences as well. As of right now, it is very difficult for most off-campus students to walk to class. The distance is very far, and the streets of Harrisonburg do not promote the safety of pedestrians. JMU and the city of Harrisonburg should work together to create more walkable options for all students. There should be more sidewalks and apartments located close to campus. By making these changes, many students would be more encouraged to walk to campus, therefore establishing healthy habits and creating friendships. Students would also benefit from this because they would be able to save money on gas, car insurance, and parking tickets. JMU would benefit from more students walking because there would be fewer accidents on campus and the issue of parking would not be as challenging or pressing to resolve. JMU should work to implement these changes because they would benefit the students as well as the university.