Walking is more than a mode of transportation — it binds communities, brings health and solace, and weaves the collective experience of city dwellers. Robert Searns, author of Beyond Greenways, leads a three-mile walking tour to demonstrate a walking route concept. Learn about town walks concepts such as Tucson’s Turquoise Trail and Denver’s 5280 Trail. Discuss the role of metro edge communities like Littleton, Colorado, and how they can serve as trail service hubs and waypoints along grand loops. Learn about closer-in doorstep walks; fitness, sustainable tourism, and economic benefits; and the vitality that trails and greenways inject into urban spaces.
Learning Objectives:
Understand the concepts and the components of town walks and grand loops.
Visualize, before development, how to create a grand loop and spokes leading to it, walk portions of the route, and examine benefits and challenges.
Learn how to advance walkable urban communities through doorstep or town walks.