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Remember the excitement of discovering something new around the bend of the creek or the curve in the path through the woods? Remember sidewalks that provided a way to move through a small town? Remember when kids spent time playing outdoors?
Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the Woods brings to light the need for children to spend time in nature and enjoy its myriad benefits. Researcher Martin S. Carlson notes that in the past 40 years in the United States, the number of children and adolescents walking or biking to and from school has declined by about half to fewer than 15 percent.
Over time, the independent mobility of children has rapidly disappeared for various reasons; therefore, communities need to think more deliberately about how to make pathways attractive and safe to kids while making parents feel secure.
