How Walkable Neighborhoods are Good for our Hearts

We may already know from personal experience that walkability is great for our mental and emotional wellbeing (check out our insight on creating walkable city blocks). Of course, walkable communities can benefit our bodies as well. Neighborhood walkability has been connected to decreased risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD), the number one cause of death in the United States.

Physical activity is critical for reducing risk of CVD, but our neighborhoods are simply not designed to promote or even enable walking for transportation or recreation. It has been shown that residents will take advantage of walkability if the community is planned to be walkable. We can no longer accept new developments that are not built with walkability in mind. We must insist that policymakers and developers prioritize walkability to create healthier, happier, and more connected communities, one step at a time.