Injury Prevention

Running head: WALKABILITY CHECKLIST 1

Walkability Checklist Week Three Assignment

André Valdez

National University

COH 412 Injury Prevention

Professor Rowena Cadacio, MPH, MS

November 11, 2016

WALKABILITY CHECKLIST 2

Walkability Checklist

Having a safe environment that promotes physical activity is important, especially in

neighborhoods where most destinations are close enough to walk, such as in San Diego.

Recently, I observed the walkability of a local neighborhood in Mira Mesa, located just a few

blocks west of the high school where I used the Walkability Checklist as a guideline in my

review. Even though there are three schools within a five-block radius of the neighborhood in

which I had observed, I feel this location scored rather poorly given its location. Despite not

having an appropriate metric of assigning an actual score, the Union Tribune had also assigned a

low walkability score for Mira Mesa. According to the article, Mira Mesa’s score was a 52 out of

100 (Showley, 2013). This was a score categorized as “Somewhat Walkable” and is just three

points away from being classified as “Car Dependent” (Showley, 2013).

I had observed several of the houses along both sides of the sidewalks had front and/or

side yards that were not properly maintained, resulting in bushes and trees that impeded the

walkway. Next, there was a deficiency in safe places to cross where most crossings were greater

than 300 feet from each other. Also, the speed limit posted within the neighborhood I had

observed was 25 MPH. However, since the road paralleled a close-by main road, there were cars

which frequently sped by at a high rate of speed, easily exceeding the speed limit. Another

important observation, was that there were several 4-way intersections that only had 2 stop signs

vice 4. This is extremely dangerous, because there were cars that were observed speeding

through these intersections, which created an unsafe crossing situation for both cars and

pedestrians. Another compounding risk were all the vehicles that were parked alongside the

roads which created huge obstructions. And finally, there was poor lighting along these

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neighborhood streets. Not only does this contribute to an even more challenging environment to

navigate in at nighttime, but it also makes pedestrians feel unsafe.

As a mitigating solution to improve the walkability in my neighborhood, I would first

address the properties that were improperly maintained by utilizing the city to cite the property

owner to eliminate immediate hazards that were feasibly possible, such as shrubbery and other

similar nuisances to public safety. Next, I would coordinate efforts with the City’s Urban

Forestry Section to evaluate and provide street tree maintenance as necessary. Next, I would

recommend working abreast with my local City Councilman to implement a speed trailer as a

tool for combating neighborhood speeding. And finally, I recommend coordinating efforts with

the City of San Diego Street Division, and SDG&E to resolve the poor lighting along the streets

within my neighborhood.

In closing, it’s unfortunate to learn that even though our climate supports an active

lifestyle to include walking and biking, there’s a large portion of our neighborhoods in San

Diego have a relatively low walkability score (Showley, 2013). Understanding what resources

are available and through identifying an agency and/or public health representative that can help

bridge the gap, are just examples of an effective method in ensuring our neighborhoods

maintains a walkable score as our populations continues to grow.

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References

Christoffel, T., & Gallagher, S. S. (2006). Injury prevention and public health : practical

knowledge, skills, and strategies (2nd ed.). Sadbury, Massachusetts, United States of

America: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Retrieved October 28, 2016

Showley, R. (2013, April 4). San Diego: Not made for walking. The San Diego Union-Tribune.

San Diego, California, United States of America. Retrieved November 12, 2016, from

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/growth-development/sdut-walkability-

ranking-walkscore-2013apr04-htmlstory.html

Walk San Diego. (n.d.). Walkability Checklist. Walk San Diego. San Diego, California, United

States. Retrieved November 12, 2016, from https://nu.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-

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