Local Organizing Page 7

Photos © FreeWalkers

Promoting Walkability in America – From Coast to Coast

Posted 03/10/14 by Amy Kapp in Trail Use | Tagged with Local Organizing, New Jersey, Walkability and Bikeability, Washington

In America’s urban centers and rural areas, walkability is becoming a hot topic. Both the public and public leaders are recognizing the way in which pedestrian-friendly policies and infrastructure can help spur economic development, improve individual and community health, and make neighborhoods more livable.

Photos © Rails-to-Trails Conservancy

Compton Kids Get Moving Outside: RTC Promotes Urban Pathways in Los Angeles County

Posted 02/28/14 by Barry Bergman in Health and Wellness, Trail Use | Tagged with California, Local Organizing, Schools and Young People, Urban Pathways

RTC worked in Compton, Calif., for several years as part of our Urban Pathways Initiative (UPI), sponsoring trail-based activities to promote increased physical activity and active transportation. As an end to RTC’s Heart Month series, here are some examples of how we helped to positively impact this passionate community.

Photos © WABI Burien and Patti Means Project Solutions

In Washington: How Nostalgia—and Lots of Passion—Made a Town More Bikeable

Posted 02/18/14 by Amy Kapp in Success Stories | Tagged with Local Organizing, Trail Communities, Washington, Why Use Trails?

In this post, as RTC continues our month-long focus on Washington State, we are pleased to explore a local community's transformation into a more walkable and bikeable place, and the nostalgic passion of one local champion who put the gears in motion.

Photo © of FSU reCycle Bike Program

FSU Bike Program Makes Student Life More Sustainable

Posted 01/24/14 by Mark Kastner in Success Stories | Tagged with Art, Florida, Local Organizing, Signage and Amenities, Young Champions

At RTC, we believe in active transportation, being environmentally friendly and, of course, changing lives. That's why we were thrilled to catch up with Florida State University (FSU) junior Mark Kastner. Kastner is FSU's reCycle Bike Program student coordinator, a role he says is "technically a job but much more of a hobby and passion." Here's what Mark has to say about the program, which is making students' lives easier, healthier and greener.

Photo © Kidical Mass Tallahassee

Kidical Mass: Training Wheels and Tots the Focus of Tallahassee Bike Crew

Posted 01/22/14 by Amy Kapp in Taking Action, Success Stories | Tagged with Florida, Local Organizing

"The bike movement has grown up, and now it has kids." These are the words of Shane MacRhodes, founder of Kidical Mass - a national program designed to "provide a safe environment for kids and their parents to learn and practice [bicycle] safety skills" while creating awareness of the growing number of cyclists-including youth-in local areas. Hence the tagline: kids are traffic too.

Photo © Bicycle House

In Tallahassee, the (Bicycle) House that Scot Built

Posted 01/16/14 by Amy Kapp in Success Stories | Tagged with Florida, Local Organizing

It was Scot Benton's father who inspired him to found Bicycle House Tallahassee, a Florida nonprofit that's part bike repair shop and training center, part "build-a-bike" program, part community development organization, part trail cleanup group and part kitchen/overnight space for travelers on the "Southern Tier" route from San Diego, Calif., to Saint Augustine, Fla.

Grand Tetons Proposal Your Chance to Support Trail Access in America's National Parks

Posted 01/13/14 by Kelly Pack in Taking Action | Tagged with Local Organizing, Wyoming

Right now the National Park Service is considering a proposal for the completion of trail loop in a section of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming known as the Moose-Wilson Road corridor. We believe this project would demonstrate the great value of nonmotorized trail access, and complete trail loops, in America's national parks, and pave the way for trail systems in parks elsewhere.

Photo CC Dan Pieniak via Flickr

Michigan's Dequindre Cut Greenway

Posted 11/01/13 by Laura Stark in America's Trails | Tagged with Art, Local Organizing, Michigan, Signage and Amenities, Tourism and Economic Stimulus, Trail Destinations, Trail of the Month

Everyone has heard about Detroit's troubles: the bankruptcy, the population decline, abandoned buildings and urban decay. What's not often heard is the story of the strength, resilience and pride of Detroiters. Underneath the rubble of bad press, hope grows as a revitalized riverfront and developing trail system are changing the way people think about the Motor City. A signature component of this movement, the Dequindre Cut Greenway, is itself a Cinderella story.

Trail rendering courtesy Michael Van Valkenburgh and Associates

EYE ON: Illinois' Bloomingdale Trail

Posted 10/09/13 by Laura Stark in | Tagged with Design Strategies, Featured Magazine Articles, Illinois, Local Organizing, Urban Pathways

At nearly 20 feet above four northwestern Chicago neighborhoods, the Bloomingdale Trail (a.k.a. The 606) will be a park in the sky. It's a lofty project to be created from an elevated rail line that once was referred to as "an overgrown linear jungle." Plans for the rail-trail include a dramatic facelift, featuring art plazas, entertainment venues, flowering trees, winding nature walks off the main trail, an astronomy observatory, and benches where trail users can rest and enjoy the views.