Springfield Archives - WalkMassachusetts

Upper Hill Neighborhood Walk Audit Springfield

On June 10, 2021, WalkBoston and Way Finders conducted a walk assessment with Springfield community members as part of the Mass in Motion grant program in the Upper Hill neighborhood. The goal of the walk audit was to identify areas of improvement in the built environment, with special focus on ADA compliance issues. Residents voiced concerns about making Upper Hill a safer, more welcoming neighborhood for all people, especially for the elderly, children, and people with mobility issues.

Read the full report here.

2 Projects to Celebrate in Springfield

A recent visit to Springfield revealed significant progress on two major pedestrian safety projects in two different Springfield neighborhoods.

Completed in September 2020, the Six Corners Roundabout was years in the making. WalkBoston learned about it back in 2013 when conducting a walk audit at the Elias Brookings Elementary School and the Maple High – Six Corners neighborhood. The project provides protected pedestrian crossings where there once were none. It slows traffic down and provides a connected sidewalk network for residents and kids walking to school.

Begun in August 2020, the North End Pedestrian Underpass Project will provide a safe connection for people walking in the Brightwood neighborhood. No longer will residents have to walk along highway ramps or cut across railroad tracks to get from Plainfield Street to Birnie Avenue. WalkBoston conducted two walk audits in the Brightwood neighborhood, including at the German Gerena Community School, that identified this connection as a pedestrian safety hazard.

So great to watch these big projects get built!

Springfield Union Station Virtual Walk Audit

On October 6 and October 22, 2020, WalkBoston and MassINC conducted a virtual walk assessment with Springfield community members in the Union Station area as part of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Mass in Motion grant program, with support from the Solomon Foundation. The two main goals of the Gateway Cities walk audit project are to effect change at the local level to work towards safer, more enjoyable streets and to inform state policy and legislation to prioritize budgetary investment in Gateway Cities across the Commonwealth.

Read the full report here.

Springfield – Liberty Heights Walk Assessment

On September 26, 2017, WalkBoston conducted a walk assessment in the Liberty Heights neighborhood of Springfield, with support from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) Pedestrian Safety Planning Initiative for High-Fatality Communities. The goal of the walk assessment was to recommend improvements to the local built environment that improve pedestrian safety.

Read the full report here:
WalkBoston-LibertyHeightsWalkAssessmentEOPSS-Springfield

Old Hill Neighborhood Walk Audit Springfield

WalkBoston conducted a walk assessment in the Old Hill neighborhood at the request of Way Finders staff (formerly HAP Housing) and Springfield’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). WalkBoston is assisting HHS in its implementation of walkability principles throughout Springfield under a CDC grant known as 1422. Springfield’s Old Hill neighborhood also received a grant (know as the Healthy Hill Initiative) from the national awards program, BUILD Health Challenge that focuses on improving public health by addressing the 3 Ps of Policy, Physical Infrastructure and Programs. The Healthy Hill Initiative (HHI) is improving public safety by engaging residents of all ages in fitness activities that put eyes on the street and children playing in underutilized parks. Way Finders is one of the HHI partners.

Read the full report here:
WalkBoston-OldHillNeighborhoodWalkAssessment-Springfield