Conservative Writer Makes Pro-Family Case for Walkable Neighborhoods

A Washington Examiner column argues that walkability should be a priority for conservatives interested in supporting larger families and freer childhoods. The piece states that neighborhoods designed for walking allow children greater independence, which can reduce anxiety, increase exercise and socialization, and make parenting less burdensome.

American children walk far less than in previous generations, largely because parents grant them less freedom to roam. Most 11-year-olds are not allowed to leave their property without supervision according to a recent Institute for Family Studies poll.

Most 14-year-olds may not leave their street and most 17-year-olds may not leave their neighborhood. Forty percent of American high schoolers walked to school in 1969. By 2016 that figure had fallen to about 10 percent according to the Transportation Department.

These trends contribute to more screen time, less physical activity and less unstructured social interaction for children while requiring parents to spend more time driving. A 2023 paper in the Journal of Pediatrics concluded that a primary cause of the rise in mental disorders is a decline over decades in opportunities for children and teens to play, roam, and engage in other activities independent of direct oversight and control by adults.

Parental fear plays a major role but the built environment is also a factor. More walkable neighborhoods could form part of the solution by allowing children to walk to school, parks and friends' homes.

The column criticizes the Environmental Protection Agency's Walkability Index as an inadequate measure that overlooks children and families. The index evaluates block groups based on intersection density, proximity to transit stops, employment mix and employment and household mix.