Tag: walk audit

WalkBoston Receives $165,000 Grant from Point32Health Foundation

WalkBoston Receives $165,000 Grant from Point32Health Foundation

By |

WalkBoston was awarded a three-year $165,000 grant from Point32Health Foundation to advocate for policies that support, advance and result in age- and dementia-friendly walkable communities.

“WalkBoston is a leading advocate on transportation issues important to older adults and a strategic partner to the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative. The grant will support WalkBoston’s work to engage older people in walk audits in communities with significant needs and train new advocates. The new trainers will collaborate with state and local agencies to share the data and advocate for transportation solutions that support healthy aging in communities across the state.”

Building on the legacy of service and giving established by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation, Point32Health Foundation works with communities to support, advocate and advance healthier lives for everyone. This is one of 10 new community investments to organizations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island totaling more than $1.1 million. The grants support community-led solutions to remove barriers that perpetuate inequities and advance policies and practices that create more inclusive communities 

“The pandemic has revealed significant gaps in our transportation, housing and food systems that disproportionately affect older people and communities of color,” said Nora Moreno Cargie, president of Point32Health Foundation and vice president for corporate citizenship at Point32Health. “To create communities that work for everyone, policies should honor and reflect community voices.”

About Point32Health Foundation

Building on Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation’s values of service and giving, Point32Health Foundation works with communities to support, advocate and advance healthier lives for everyone. The Foundation advances equity-focused solutions in healthy aging, access to healthy food and behavioral health in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

 

 

 

Main Street and Union Street West Springfield Walk Audit

Main Street and Union Street West Springfield Walk Audit

By |

On Monday, November 15, 2021, with an invitation from the Town of West Springfield’s Mass in Motion coordinator, Becky Basch, Senior Planner at the Pioneer Valley Commission, WalkBoston led a walk audit focused on the areas surrounding Main  The Town of West Springfield, and this residential area, is home to a diverse population with many languages and cultures represented.

The purpose for this walk audit was to follow up on a Park Access Project completed through the Mass in Motion program in 2019, that found that the Merrick neighborhood has the highest density of residential development and the smallest amount of park land available to residents in the immediate areas. As the Town has plans to make improvements on Main Street in 2022, the Department of Public Works is open to including recommendations from the Walk Audit in its plans.  The Town is also planning to make improvements on Union Street in the next few years and is looking to improve connections for bicycle users to current projects on Memorial Ave and Park Drive. 

The walk audit included portions of Main Street and Union Street that are home to popular markets, a food pantry, a charter school, Ascentria Care Alliance, and Main Street Playground. The recommendations provided in this report are broken down into both short- and long-term recommendations, which can provide temporary traffic calming measures and improved pedestrian infrastructure while more long-term interventions are planned. 

Read the full report here.

Cummington Walk Audit

Cummington Walk Audit

By |

The Hilltowns CDC, together with Healthy Hampshire and WalkBoston, are leading a 5-year grant project to promote Age-Friendly Walkability in the Hilltowns Town Centers. Together with community residents and leaders, the team will be conducting a series of walk audits in partnering Hilltowns. The goal of these walk audits is to identify infrastructure improvements and policy changes to make town-center walking safer and more enjoyable for people of all ages in the Hilltowns. The Town of Cummington is one of the partnering communities in this grant project.

Read the full report here.

Upper Hill Neighborhood Walk Audit Springfield

Upper Hill Neighborhood Walk Audit Springfield

By |

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.

Downtown Haverhill Virtual Walk Audit

Downtown Haverhill Virtual Walk Audit

By |

On May 27 and June 17, 2021, WalkBoston and MassINC conducted a virtual walk assessment with community members in the downtown Haverhill 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.