Once a month, County Board members in Arlington, Virginia, along with other civic leaders and citizens, conduct walking town meetings in different neighborhoods in Arlington. The stated purpose of these meetings is to identify issues of concern to residents; to share ideas on how the quality of life in the community can be enhanced or improved; or to “show-off” their community.
These tours allow citizens to go beyond just talking about issues and to give policy makers a first-hand look at the problems and success stories in their communities. These meetings are not meant to be problem-solving sessions, but rather a means to bring attention to certain neighborhoods and their issues. The routes of these meetings and the issues addressed are developed by a local civic association or neighborhood group and presented to the County Board. The Board picks among the proposals the ones they deem to best represent a balance of county locations and issues, ensuring that the broadest array of issues are covered in a limited number of meetings. The selected neighborhoods are contacted by a planner from the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development who assists the group in refining the list of issues and developing the walking route to be traveled during the meeting. The planner communicates with relevant County departments to gain input on the issues and to identify staff who will attend the meeting.
After each walking meeting, a follow up report is written to address questions and issues that were raised during the meeting — as well as to Board members who did not attend the meeting.
Results
The key achievement of the walking town meetings in Arlington is the opportunity afforded to civic groups and citizens to air concerns about their communities. The medium has been popular with numerous groups who have continued to compete for the three yearly slots. The issues raised during these meetings vary with local concerns, but are often pertinent to the enhancement of a pedestrian-friendly physical environment.
Lessons Learned
The nature of walking meetings precludes the ability to follow the systematic agendas and in-depth problem-solving discussions that may be covered at traditional town meetings. However, the informal setting of such meetings is better suited to building camaraderie amongst participants and providing direct access to elected officials. These meetings also provide an opportunity to focus exclusively on the concerns of particular communities which may be overlooked at traditional town meetings with packed agendas. The continuation of these meetings has been facilitated by institutionalizing the procedure for civic groups to apply for three pre-designated dates every year.
Strengths
Innovative Ideas
Implementation
Resources
www.feetfirst.info/research
The resource and publications page of the Seattle, WA based pedestrian advocacy group provides numerous resources to promote walking, including The Power of Walking Meetings
References
Arlington, VA County Board. Walking Town Meetings for 2006. [Official County Web site]. Retrieved May 15, 2006 from: http://www.arlingtonva.us/departments/CountyBoard/townmeetings/CountyBoardTownmeetingsMain.aspx
Center for Health Improvement. (2005). Walking Meetings Energize Body and Mind. [Checklist for Successful Walking Meetings]. Sacramento, CA: Center for Health Improvement. Retrieved May 15, 2006 from: http://www.chipolicy.org/pdf/5678.Walking%20Final%20After%20Public%20HW.pdf
Kitchell, M. & Stewart, J. Feet First. (2004). The Power of Walking Meetings. Seattle, WA: Feet First.
Neighborhood Hosts Walking Town Meeting with County Board. (2004, Fall). Tara-Leeway Heights Community News. 10(3): 1. Retrieved May 15, 2006 from: http://www.taraleeway.org/cmsweb/download.php?id=887723,69,3
