Step It Up! The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities

Today, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a “Call to Action” to encourage Americans of all ages and abilities to walk more and to encourage communities to create safe, accessible places for people to walk and wheelchair roll. The Step It Up! Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities offers strategies for increasing walking and walkable communities for people of all ages and abilities.

“Everyone deserves to have a safe place to walk or wheelchair roll. But in too many of our communities, that is not the reality,” said Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, the 19th U.S. Surgeon General. “We know that an active lifestyle is critical to achieving good overall health. And walking is a simple, effective and affordable way to build physical activity into our lives. That is why we need to step it up as a country ensuring that everyone can choose to walk in their own communities.”

The call to action provides actionable steps that city leaders can take to improve their city’s walkability and wheelchair accessibility. The report also identifies opportunities and actions that multiple sectors, including health care, education and industry can take to support these efforts.

Studies show that when cities implement design solutions to promote walkable communities and active transportation, such as sidewalks, curb cuts and more green spaces, they have greater potential to reap significant public health, economic, environmental and social benefits. These benefits can include improved health of residents and an increase in property values, tourism and economic investment. Walking also provides opportunities for people to build stronger relationships with neighbors and supports stronger overall community bonds among residents.

Click below to read the Surgeon General’s Call to Action document and executive summary, as well as other resources you can use to help spread the word about how everyone can help America become a more walkable nation.

• The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities and Executive Summary
• Step it Up! A Partners Guide to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities
• Step it Up! Help Make Our Communities Walkable Animated Consumer Video

More resources are available at: www.surgeongeneral.gov/StepItUp