According to sociologist Robert A. Bullard, “The health benefits of walking are so overwhelming that to deny access to that is a violation of fundamental human rights. All communities should have a right to a safe, sustainable, healthy, just, walkable community.”
Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association:
Another study found that walkable neighborhoods are associated with higher levels of civic engagement. "The exercise of democracy begins as exercise, as walking around, becoming familiar with the streets, comfortable with strangers, able to imagine your own body as powerful and expressive rather than a pawn. People who are at home in their civic space preserve the power to protest and revolt, whereas those who have been sequestered into private space do not.”
Walkability is a sign of a strong democracy and is essential to the basic human right to freely assemble in public spaces. Dictators know that democracy must be exercised, regularly and on foot. So they restrict or eliminate public spaces, forbid public gatherings, and use force to break up protest walks.
Increasingly “democratic” governments are fencing off public spaces and placing barricades on public walkways which effectively force citizens out of civic areas. This retreat deprives us of the opportunity to see fellow citizens, converse with them and, perhaps, discover common concerns. Being able to walk in accessible, public spaces is a key way to uphold democratic rule, fair and free elections, cooperative conduct, and individual and minority rights.
The Exercise of Democracy:
Democracy is fragile and therefore needs to be reinvented every day in small acts as well as huge movements. Even when there are no “big issues” to galvanize action, walking itself can be a powerful way for people to commit to civic conduct as they move through their community and engage with others on public walkways. Walking provides a series of difficult and delightful experiences that invite you to think, feel, and be alive to possibility. People are noticing you and you are noticing them. You feel healthier; you are contributing to the microclimate of your community and encountering new opportunities for participation in democratic action.
Democratic life is about learning how to respectfully challenge oneself and others to improve the common good by balancing individual and collective interests. The first step - walk in your community. Walking literally puts you in touch with public spaces and community members. If you find that your community is not walkable, perhaps this is your opportunity to engage in microdemocracy. The exercise of democracy begins with one step.
Walkability is a sign of a strong democracy and is essential to the basic human right to freely assemble in public spaces. Dictators know that democracy must be exercised, regularly and on foot. So they restrict or eliminate public spaces, forbid public gatherings, and use force to break up protest walks.
Increasingly “democratic” governments are fencing off public spaces and placing barricades on public walkways which effectively force citizens out of civic areas. This retreat deprives us of the opportunity to see fellow citizens, converse with them and, perhaps, discover common concerns. Being able to walk in accessible, public spaces is a key way to uphold democratic rule, fair and free elections, cooperative conduct, and individual and minority rights.
The Exercise of Democracy:
Democracy is fragile and therefore needs to be reinvented every day in small acts as well as huge movements. Even when there are no “big issues” to galvanize action, walking itself can be a powerful way for people to commit to civic conduct as they move through their community and engage with others on public walkways. Walking provides a series of difficult and delightful experiences that invite you to think, feel, and be alive to possibility. People are noticing you and you are noticing them. You feel healthier; you are contributing to the microclimate of your community and encountering new opportunities for participation in democratic action.
Democratic life is about learning how to respectfully challenge oneself and others to improve the common good by balancing individual and collective interests. The first step - walk in your community. Walking literally puts you in touch with public spaces and community members. If you find that your community is not walkable, perhaps this is your opportunity to engage in microdemocracy. The exercise of democracy begins with one step.
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