Last week
Canada Walks announced the launch of
Walk Friendly Ontario (WFO), a new designation program that will reward walkable and sustainable communities throughout the province.
While the the tool for assessing walkability and sustainability is still in development, organizers have already made comprehensive criteria available online to give communities a chance to gather information, prepare and make changes in advance of the 2013 deadline.
"Walking, engineering, placemaking, education and encouragement" are among the most essential criteria says project manger Kate Hall. After applications are received in the spring and summer of 2013, qualified communities will be awarded one of four designators: bronze, silver, gold and platinum. In the meantime, Hall says "communities can begin looking at what kind of resources are [on the website] and they can start to work on their application so they're ready when it comes out."
Sponsored by a grant from the province of Ontario, WFO is part of a larger national project,
Canada Walks, working to make walkability an important political and social issue at the municipal, provincial and national levels.
"Because walking is the most natural method of transportation, we sometimes take it for granted and neglect to consider what constitutes a walk-friendly built environment in community planning," says Hall. "We create space for everything else on our streets except people. The WFO program is about making sure that walking is "on the radar" of city/town planners, engineers and decision-makers."
Writer: Katia Snukal
Source: Kate Hall, Consultant, Green Communities Canada & Project Manager, Walk Friendly Ontario