Presenting the 2023 Golden Shoe Awards!
Our Golden Shoes Awards recognize individuals, agencies, municipalities and companies exemplifying the ideals of WalkBoston’s mission. The winners accept their award during our Annual Celebration, which will be in-person (and livestreamed) from the Venture Cafe @ 1 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02142. Register here to join us in celebrating & honoring their work!
This year’s Golden Shoe Awards go to… Fred Salvucci, Merrimack Valley Fare-Free Program & Bus Transformation, and MassTrails. Congrats to all the winners!
Fred Salvucci is being honored for his lifelong work as a civil engineer, educator, transportation advocate, and coalition builder. From expanding Boston’s transit system to being a key developer of the Big Dig project, Fred’s tireless dedication to the wellbeing, connectivity, and prosperity of his beloved city continues to inspire us today. Read Fred’s bio here.
The Merrimack Valley Fare-Free Program & Bus Transformation – WalkBoston celebrates a collaboration that resulted in a fare-free bus pilot that became permanent in the Merrimack Valley! Along with increasing accessibility for low-income riders and the frequency of bus operation, the recent rebrand of the MVRTA into MeVA deliberately speaks to the community’s Spanish-speaking riders. From its tagline “Let’s go/íVamos!” to the buses’ cheerful new color scheme, MeVa’s visionary approach to public transit has tremendously increased ridership across the Valley. 
“MassTrails,” inter-agency initiative of the Commonwealth led by the Governor’s Office in collaboration with the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, has developed a unified vision for a trails network across the Commonwealth. The Team has recently completed its fourth round of grant awards funding $11.8 million in MassTrails Grants to 81 projects throughout the Commonwealth. Read more about MassTrails here.
Our 2023 Annual Celebration Keynote Speaker this year is Dr. Karilyn Crockett!
Dr. Crockett’s research focuses on large-scale land use changes in twentieth century American cities and examines the social and geographic implications of structural poverty and racial formations. Karilyn’s book “People before Highways: Boston Activists, Urban Planners, and a New Movement for City Making” (UMASS Press 2018) investigates a 1960s era grassroots movement to halt urban extension of the U.S. interstate highway system and the geographic and political changes in Boston that resulted. Read more about Karilyn’s work on our website.
We hope you’ll join us on Tuesday, April 4th at 5:30pm to celebrate our wonderful honorees!
To read about previous Golden Shoe winners, click here.