Walking workshop in Little Rock

The public is encouraged to participate in an Active Living Workshop on October 12 with Dan Burden, the nation’s leading walkability expert, to discuss ways that North Little Rock can advance active transportation. The event will include a walking audit, where participants can experience first-hand conditions that impact walking and biking in North Little Rock. For residents who know Levy well, this is a chance to view the corridor through a new lens, and to share the experience with others who are passionate about creating and maintaining a safe, walkable, and healthy community.

Dan Burden, executive director of the non-profit Walkable and Livable Communities Institute, will present findings and recommendations from a walkability audit, or walking workshop, to help members of the community experience firsthand some of the barriers to active living and how we might overcome them. The walking audit will be followed by a conceptual design session in which participants will envision an improved Levy. The workshop will conclude with a public presentation on October 13 in which Burden will discuss the observations and recommendations for Levy.

All events are free and open to the public. The Active Living Workshop is made possible by the Arkansas Department of Health, Arkansas Coalition for Obesity Prevention (ArCOP), and AARP Arkansas. The workshop will highlight links between economic vitality, public health and transportation. “In many parts of the country, we have engineered activity out of our daily lives by building streets that accommodate only cars, not people,” Burden said. “Unfortunately, this has negatively affected the health and economic vitality of our communities. We can do better.”

“With obesity rates on the rise and the epidemic being most dramatic in the south, it is time to make a change,” said Arkansas Department of Health state coordinator Leesa Freasier. “Nine of the ten states with the highest adult obesity rates are southern states. Studies have shown that people are more likely to exercise if they can fit activity into their daily lives because time and schedule are the primary reasons most of us put off exercising.” This is one goal of the Active Living Workshop: to make the healthy choice the easiest choice. Presently, 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 5 children in Arkansas are obese. “We understand the impacts of the built environment on both individual health and the economic vitality of a region,” said AARP associate state director for community outreach Lou Tobian. “The Active Living Workshop is a commitment by AARP and the Arkansas Department of Health to invest in initiatives at the local level that will improve quality of life for all,” Tobian added.

The Active Living Workshop will help participants recognize how planning and design influences community-building, while giving participants a toolkit to draw from to build healthier places. The Active Living Workshop agenda is as follows:

Wednesday, October 12
8:45 a.m. Introduction and roundtable discussion
North Heights Community Center, 4801 Allen Street

10:15 a.m. Walk audit through Levy
From 47th St. to I-40 underpass, approx. 1 ½ miles…WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES!

12 p.m. Lunch and discussion
City Council Chambers, City Hall, 300 Main Street

4 p.m. Close

Thursday, October 13
9 – 11 a.m. Dan Burden’s final presentation with recommendations
City Council Chambers, City Hall, 300 Main Street

For questions, please contact Bernadette Gunn at:
Phone: 501-975-8777
Email: bgunn@northlittlerock.ar.gov