Think Big Picture. Streets are not just about traffic and parking. They belong to the public, and should be as safe and inviting for families walking as people driving. Think about who should be able to use the street and what kind of activities should take place on it. Kids walking to school? Older adults sitting outside? Community celebrations? This will help you envision how the street could look.

Identify the Problem. It's important to start with a clear statement of the problem. This might be "I can't get across the street before the light changes," "People drive recklessly through this intersection," or "There aren't any places to sit on the street." This statement will help determine the solutions you consider.

Build Support. Changing a street takes work from a lot of people. Consider working with an existing coalition, or starting a new one. Who else is interested in this problem? Who is affected by it? Who will you need support from? See Who You Gonna Call? for potential partners.

LEARN MORE Preparing for a Community Meeting (pop up window)

The best projects involve people from a variety of backgrounds. This may require providing outreach materials in multiple languages, setting meeting times to accommodate work and school schedules, making sure meetings are accessible by public transit, and providing child care or translation at meetings (see Sidebar: Preparing for a community meeting).

LEARN MORE Data Collection Methods Sidebar (pop up window)

Do Some Research. Your case will be much stronger if you can back it up with some research. You don't need to be an engineer to do research. You can count the number of pedestrians, vehicles, street trees or amount of trash on the street, calculate vehicle speeds, or determine how long it takes to cross the street versus how much time the signal allows for crossing (see the Data Collection Methods Sidebar).

LEARN MORE Walkability Audit Form (pop up window)

You can also get information such as the number of collisions in your community involving pedestrians. This data can usually be found at your local police department or city transportation department. (See Dig a Little Deeper for data sources). Consider doing a walkability audit to document the issues on your street and to determine what existing conditions may have contributed to the pedestrian collisions. (see Sidebar: Walkability Audit). If you find people are not walking enough in your community, you may want to analyze the situation to find why they may not be willing to walk. You can get an idea of why people may not walk from the Neighborhood Walking Guideline at the site of walkinfo.org. Pictures will also help build your case. These could be photos of the street or intersection, maps of common walking routes, centers of activity, or common destinations; or diagrams showing street features such as signals, crosswalks, street trees, or bike lanes.

Connect with like-minded groups. Getting to know other like-minded organizations that may be doing the same thing as you are will be good for growing strength and confidence in your campaign. Find out how you may be able to get involved in their efforts or start your own with their added support. You can find a list of local pedestrian advocacy groups online from the site of americawalks.org. California residents can find a list of local pedestrian advocacy groups online or jump to "Who you Gonna Call?" section for a list of local and regional pedestrian groups. You may also consider looking at your phone book, or doing an internet search. Begin conversations with these groups to find out how you and your group can get involved with their existing efforts to improve bicycle infrastructure. If no one has a project that meets your needs, maybe you can all work together to start a new campaign. In addition to pedestrian advocacy groups, look for other groups who may be interested in your campaign, even if their primary objectives may not be related to walking. For example, groups of parents of school age children may like to join your campaign because they may want a safe walking environment for their children. Public health professionals and environmentalists may be interested in your campaign because encouraging walking is a healthy and environmentally friendly habit. You should also consider advocates for livable communities, traditional neighborhoods, smart growth, or New Urbanism.

Increase public awareness about your campaign. Raising awareness among the residents of your community about current condition of pedestrian infrastructure in your neighborhood is an important step in your campaign. It is very likely that they are already aware of many of these problems ­ but doing outreach will help them get organized. Consider calling public meetings in your community to discuss your research findings, or distributing flyers about your campaign that encourage pedestrians to report any dangerous infrastructure. You can learn more about different techniques for communicating with your community members from the Community Toolbox of the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program.

Propose a Solution. Depending on the problem, your solution might be a physical change to the street or a new neighborhood program. You might also consider a short- term "demonstration project" to see if your solution will actually work.

Consider the impact of your proposed solution on other streets, surrounding neighborhoods, and other road users. For example, will it push all the traffic to someone else's street? Will ambulances be able to get through in an emergency? Will it make the street difficult to ride a bicycle, or use a wheelchair or walker?

LEARN MORE Common Responses from Traffic Engineers (pop up window)

Don't get discouraged if at first you have difficulty convincing city officials and staff about the feasibility of your plans--see the Common Reponses from Traffic Engineers sidebar for ways to defend your proposal. Start with a simple and low-cost first project that you can do relatively easily. This early success will help build momentum and support.

Get Attention. An important step to make your campaign visible and effective is conducting an effective media campaign. Understanding the general concepts of publicity and promotion will help you promote your campaign to a wider audience, which may help you get more support ­ perhaps from people with other communities too. Also consider holding a press conference and invite local media, elected officials, and community leaders to attend. By writing press releases you will be able to draw attention to your campaign. You can find more advice on writing an effective press release and working with the media online. Get attention for your issue among the public and city officials. A good first step is to talk to local elected officials. You could attend your local City Council or other public meetings, talk to a transportation engineer and/or city planner, write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper or to elected officials, or hold a rally or other event. Make sure that those affected (such as youth, older adults, disabled persons, or parents) tell their story.

If you call or speak to a city official face to face, it helps to put things in writing and keep a file. A follow-up letter thanking the person for the meeting and summarizing the issue provides a useful record of the discussion. Send a copy of important letters or documents to your council member. Make sure to date all materials and provide your contact information on all correspondence.

Take advantage of other related events. Take advantage of national or regional events such as national and international Walk to School day to make others aware of your campaign (you can get more information about this event on the walktoschool-usa.org website). Other programs that you may look into are Safe Routes to School or Walk-to Lunch Day. For more information on Safe Routes to School, jump to the tool in this toolkit.

Be Strategic. The best time to propose a street design project is when street work (such as resurfacing, sidewalk work, utility work, or new construction) is being considered or planned for your street. Check with your local Public Works department for more information about the schedule for your community.

Combining your proposed project with a street or development project that is already planned can make it much cheaper. However, there unavoidably will be some costs. See Show Me the Money for some ideas on how to pay for your project.

Evaluate Your Impact. It's important to know if your project helped achieve your goals. Collect follow-up information on the problem you identified initially (i.e. the number of collisions, average vehicle speeds, the percentage of people that can cross before the light changes, etc.), and compare it to what you collected before. Partners such as universities, health clinics, or research organizations may be able to help with evaluation. This information will help you and others plan future projects to make streets more walkable.

Share your story with the media, community-based organizations, city officials, and other neighborhood groups. This will inspire others in your community and beyond!