Walking to School: Connecting Past and Present Impacts
Source: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
This StoryMap focuses on the legacy of segregation and its impact on how streets around our schools look today – including sidewalks, speed, and other conditions that influence safe walking. As an illustrative example, it explores how segregation, present-day social factors, and roadway conditions show up in one city—Atlanta, Georgia—and highlights a specific project aiming to improve active travel for middle school students. The StoryMap showcases how historical disinvestment impacts can and should be considered as communities make decisions about where to invest funding and other resources to improve safety for walking.
Thousands of Safe Routes to School programs exist across the United States, and many operate within the context of schools and communities that experience the historical and intentional exclusion from equitable policies, practices, and resources. These disinvested schools and their broader communities are often impacted by the legacy of various forms of segregation. Safe Routes to School program coordinators and partners in public health, advocacy, and local and State transportation agencies can all benefit from understanding how active travel has been impacted by past segregation policies and practices and to consider where and how to apply resources now.
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