Streetsblog New York City

Over the past few months, Livable Streets Education has worked with schools across New York City on We're Walking Here NYC. Educators were asked to engage students in an exercise that highlights the importance of safety, healthy choices, walkable streets and sustainable transportation, and to share that message with others. This was the pilot run of our web-based project and we had a great group of participants. Next fall we plan to continue the initiative and invite any and all NYC schools to join in. 

Our grand prize winner was P.S. 8 in Brooklyn for their video PSA, "Why Should You Walk to School?" It was created by Class 3-305 with teacher Melissa Browning.

We had a tough decision as many schools did a great job. Our other winners are listed after the jump.

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In New York City, about 80 percent of kids walk to school. This is amazingly high compared to the national average of about 13 percent.

On October 7, over 40 countries celebrated International Walk to School Day. Livable Streets Education and the National Center for Safe Routes to School hosted a walk to school celebration in Washington Square Park in conjunction with the Walk 21 Conference.

After students participated in activities promoting better urban mobility, Gil Penalosa spoke to the students and beatbox master Rahzel performed. Check it out.

With the Walk21 Conference in town next week, New York City will be the focus of this year's Walk to School Day, and we want New York kids to benefit. To help out, Livable Streets Education is organizing a project to celebrate walking in schools: We're Walking Here NYC.

As you already know, most Americans don't get around much by walking. A recent New York Times article reminded us that only 13 percent of kids in America walk to school. In contrast, New Yorkers, including New York City kids, walk much more than the average American. Many New York City kids walk to school each day -- whether they live a few blocks away, or walk themselves to the bus or train. In short, our walking habits can be a model for the rest of the country.

Livable Streets Education, NYC DOT, Walk21, and the National Center for Safe Routes to School will be co-hosting a free citywide event at Washington Square Park on Walk to School Day, October 7, from 1-2 p.m. Fun activities have been planned for K-12 students, focusing on green and healthy lifestyles. World-famous beatboxer Rahzel (a former member of The Roots) will be performing live, and international leaders will speak on active communities and urban livability.

Last month, more than 500 people gathered in Portland, Oregon for the second National Safe Routes to School Conference. Maybe it's the fact that Congress might triple national funding for safe routes to school programs. Or maybe it’s the way that walking and biking to school fits so well with efforts to improve public health, safety, and the environment. Whatever the reason, you definitely got the feeling at this event that you were part of something that’s gaining momentum.

Livable Streets Education was among the presenters, and we learned quite a bit ourselves about the safe routes to school movement. We wanted to share with Streetsblog readers some insights that we picked up from two of the headliners at the conference.

First, the problems plaguing our built environment are big. We're all pretty familiar with the triple whammy of traffic violence, sedentary lifestyles, and global climate change, but sometimes it helps to get a refresher in the salient facts and figures. Richard Jackson, chair of the Environmental Health Sciences Department at UCLA, laid it out. Global average temperature is increasing at an ever higher rate. One-third of Americans live in neighborhoods without sidewalks, half without access to public transportation. Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for every age group from 3 to 33. Meanwhile, the costs to our healthcare system from diseases related to obesity are enormous: We spend 1.5 percent of our entire GDP on treating diabetes alone.

It can all seem overwhelming. But as Jackson pointed out, there are plenty of ways to make these problems feel more manageable. As he said, it really comes down to asking yourself: "Can I walk to buy milk?"

Another keynoter, Howard Frumkin, director of the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, elaborated on the same theme. Rather than generate fear, despair, anxiety, he said, we need to communicate the changes we must make with accuracy and balance. We don't want people to mentally check out or give up when they hear the facts -- we need constructive engagement.

That's where "Safe Routes to School" comes in: It's a solution that's easy to grasp and feels like something we are capable of achieving. We can demand sidewalks, we can set up “walking school buses” to get kids to school. These are doable steps with benefits ranging from improved cardiovascular health to reduced carbon emissions. And it will help raise a new generation to appreciate the experience of walking, biking, and meeting your neighbors.

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Streetsbloggers are encouraged to come out this Wednesday and join Clarence Eckerson and Kim Wiley-Schwartz from the Livable Streets Initiative, along with Amanda Gentile from Brooklyn Green Team and author Elizabeth Royte, for a panel discussion after a screening of the "No Impact Man" documentary.

In case you're still unfamiliar with No Impact Man, here's the official film promo blurb:

Author Colin Beavan, in research for his next book, began the No Impact Project in November 2006. A newly self-proclaimed environmentalist who could no longer avoid pointing the finger at himself, Colin leaves behind his liberal complacency for a vow to make as little environmental impact as possible for one year. No more automated transportation, no more electricity, no more non-local food, no more material consumption … no problem. That is, until his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife Michelle and their two year-old daughter are dragged into the fray. Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein's film provides a front row seat into the familial strains and strengthened bonds that result from Colin's and Michelle's struggle with this radical lifestyle change.

And here are the event details:

WHEN: Wednesday, September 16, 7:20 p.m.
WHERE: Angelika Film Center, 18 W. Houston St. (at Mercer St.), Manhattan
COST: $12.50 adults; $9 for seniors and children

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I am so hoping for a Jeff Klein cameo.

People all around New York City have been sighting the Zozo. So it's no surprise that a special guest showed up to help NYC DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan invite New Yorkers to enjoy Summer Streets 2009 (on August 8, 15, and 22).

Have you seen the Zozo?

Ever heard an anti-idling rap? Or Seen the "Funky Pollution Dance?" Tune in to this video to see what Livable Streets Education students are up to at MS 51 in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

The mysterious Zozo came out from hiding to make his first appearance this Saturday at Celebrate Brooklyn's Family Day in Prospect Park. He reminded kids and families that the green way is also the fun and healthy way to get around the city. Zozo was particularly impressed with Celebrate Brooklyn's Bike Zone, and loves that you can get to the concert "by feet, by train, by bike, by bus"!

Asking kids how they would re-design their streets is a revealing exercise. Students concerned about sustainability have a lot to say about their built environment, and they say it with conviction.

This May and June, Livable Streets Education led a six-week project with seventh graders from the Mott Hall II school, a public school located on 109th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam. We asked them to imagine a public realm that was greener, safer, and better for their community. Working in groups, they helped create photo simulations of their ideas, then wrote letters to local officials with their recommendations.

Here’s a look at their work and how they made it:

When we introduced the students to progressive concepts in street design, they immediately had strong opinions about how to improve their streets. While many adults appear to perceive public spaces as inflexible and static, young people are less encumbered. They tend to see the full range of possibilities for the use of their streets.

This spring, Livable Streets Education worked with teacher Tim Devaney at De La Salle Academy in Manhattan to bring real world issues into the classroom and the classroom into the real world. This after school program allowed students to explore, observe and interact with the streets and public spaces around their school, and provided firsthand lessons in science, sustainability, civics and language arts. Watch as they learn -- and teach -- on the subjects of street safety, street beautification and air quality.

Get in touch to bring Livable Streets Education to your school, public event or other venue suitable for livable streets learning.