Walkable Neighborhoods Promote Health and Social Connection
Where do you walk or run in Cleveland, Tennessee? People are frequently attracted to college campuses, such as Lee University, or parks like the Cleveland Greenway. These outdoor spaces are accessible and beautiful, with one particular thing in common: sidewalks. Sidewalks are to be expected at destinations like public parks and downtown areas, but they are not always a given in residential neighborhoods. Historically, neighborhoods are not only where people live, but also where people connect. When neighborhoods don’t have the infrastructure to support social interaction, outdoor activity, and safe walking or biking options, this type of engagement becomes difficult and even dangerous. So why do so many neighborhoods across America and Tennessee seem to be built for cars rather than people? Continue reading to learn more about why sidewalks in our neighborhoods are crucial to the health, safety, and social fabric of our communities.
Health Benefits of Sidewalks in Neighborhoods
The benefits of accessible sidewalks where you live are far-reaching. Research shows that neighborhood walkability has a profound impact on:
Physical Health and Wellness
Mental Health
Neighborhood Safety and Crime Rates
Access to Essential Goods and Services (i.e. Public Schools)
Physical and Mental Health Benefits
Social connections, even ones as simple as interacting with your neighbor as you walk past them on the street, have a variety of health benefits. In his 2023 report, Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation, the U.S. Surgeon General highlighted the far-reaching impact social connections have on individual physical and mental health. Sidewalks in a neighborhood encourage increased physical activity that leads to reduced rates of diabetes, heart disease, stress, anxiety, and depression, all of which can tend to be underdiagnosed and undertreated in low-income neighborhoods.
Safety for School-aged children
Some Cleveland, Tennessee neighborhoods are located in a Parent Responsibility Zone - a set distance from a public school (in our case, an elementary school) within which the school system doesn’t offer transportation to the school. If families have limited access to a car or work during school hours, it is difficult to transport their children to school. As a result, many students end up walking or biking to and from school. To address this issue in a local neighborhood, the City of Cleveland implemented a “Safe Path to School” project - a mile-long stretch of sidewalks from one end of the neighborhood to the nearby elementary school. Across the country, communities have implemented “Walking School Bus” models with the help of neighborhood volunteers to “transport” students to school as a community. Without sidewalks to connect neighborhoods to essential goods and services, activities like walking to school become significantly more dangerous.
Social Connection and Belonging
Sidewalks act as outdoor third spaces, much like parks, neighborhood gardens, or community centers. These facilities provide an avenue through which organic connections can occur. Over time, interactions outside with neighbors can foster a sense of belonging someone has for their neighborhood. These touchpoints become especially important in mixed-income and increasingly diverse neighborhoods. Casual interactions in the neighborhood can help break down social and economic barriers, facilitating empathy towards neighbors in meaningful ways. Living in proximity to neighbors who might be different from us is a powerful way to develop a sense of community and work together for positive change at the neighborhood level.
This level of change, though, is the kind that, as Stephen Covey puts it, “moves at the speed of trust.” Walkable neighborhoods help to foster that kind of interpersonal trust which leads to safer neighborhoods. In neighborhoods where walking is encouraged, residents often feel safer and more connected to their surroundings. When people walk in their neighborhoods, they become more familiar with their surroundings and the individuals who inhabit them. This familiarity fosters trust, as residents begin to recognize one another and feel a sense of accountability toward their community.
How “Sidewalk Ballet” Brings a Neighborhood Alive
Urban theorist and activist, Jane Jacobs, popularized the concept of “eyes on the street” highlighting the importance of consistent, daily street activity in a neighborhood that creates a naturally safe and trusting environment over time. She writes of the “sidewalk ballet” of her own neighborhood streets that poetically captures the complex, beautiful dance that happens as neighbors walk past each other in the neighborhood as they go about their days. When more people are walking there is an inherent increase in safety. This visibility can deter crime and foster a sense of security, further encouraging residents to interact and participate in community life.
Examples of Walkable Neighborhoods in Cleveland, TN
One of Cleveland’s most historically overlooked residential areas, the Blythe Oldfield neighborhood, has seen an uptick in social connectivity thanks to more than 2 miles of new sidewalks that line several neighborhood streets. Events such as Blythe Bower Walk to School Days were made possible for students in a Parent Responsibility Zone attending Blythe Bower Elementary School. In September 2024, the neighborhood hosted its first 5K/Fun Run through the neighborhood, which brought people from all corners of the City together to support holistic revitalization efforts in Blythe Oldfield. These events would have been difficult or even impossible without the new sidewalks.
To learn more about City Fields CDC or community development in Cleveland’s most overlooked neighborhoods visit www.cityfieldscdc.com.