The Transformative Power of Walking | Sandra James | TEDxCarsonCity

Vancouver BC City Planner, Sandra James gives examples of how making a community more walkable, can change the social fabric of a neighborhood or a community.

Sandy James is irrationally passionate about sustainably smart walkable communities. As a city planner for the City of Vancouver Sandy championed locally scaled neighborhood projects that virally became city policy in Vancouver and other cities. Working collaboratively with engineering staff Sandy developed the innovative 140 kilometer “green street” sustainable network of connected parks, streets and places where pedestrians have priority. Known as the “pickpocket of city hall” for her ability to find financing, Sandy was named Neighborhood Planner of the Year” by the Vancouver Sun newspaper for her work with communities. Sandy believes that promoting walkability is socially and morally the right thing to do, and chaired the international Walk 21 Conference in Vancouver in 2011. Sandy is a Director of Walk Metro Vancouver, which encourages best practices for the development of walkable places and spaces, creating communities we want to live in.

[msrawynn]

Walking is my peace, my therapy, and where my creativity gets crazy active! I love it! ♥️

[bellaangel]

Recently i started walking an hour a day outdoors; it's truly transformative on so many levels!

[nitinpasi]

The best time of walking is between 4:00 am to 5:00 am. It really gives us the power of positive energy and mind blowing refreshment

[SeamusMartin]

Wonderful. Thank you for this seven years on.

[AvneetSinghKhorana]

I've Been Walking regularly since the past couple of years, My father has done the same for his whole life, he is 74 and still walks everyday for an hour. There aren't many good videos on YouTube regarding the benefits of walking and which covers a long term study. I'll tell you, once you get addicted to this exercise you will not like missing even a day.

[Rome]

When I had severe neuropathic pain and anxiety problems I would walk as often as I could . It did wonders . It helped relax me and alleviate my pain . I also lost 17 kgs within 6 months which I needed to loose .

[Ellie-yxni]

Lovely talk Ms. James. Thank you. So much inspiration for city planners, gardeners, and people who just want to improve their communities. I moved 3 years ago from the suburbs to a walkable downtown urban neighborhood and I will never go back to the burbs. What a difference to my physical and mental health, as well as feeling connected to my neighbors and community. It doesn't hurt that my city government understands the benefits of being pedestrian friendly. So many of the ideas in this video are being implemented all over here in Greenville, SC.

[GarrettBuhlRobinson]

This talk is filled with wonderful information for the individual and collective benefits of pedestrian friendly neighborhoods, and proven ways to transform estranged residential areas into interactively thriving communities. I found the part about Nina Miller 12:57 particularly insightful. It illustrates a very effective means of strategically placing public facilities between bus stations, train stations and community stores. Excellent talk!

[keitha.neubert]

I enjoyed hearing Sandra James' presentation very much. As fences at the fronts of properties fall and people find the benefits of creating a better community (rather than sanction themselves inside their individual homes), this exquisitely spoken talk is inspirimg!

[treadeffectfitness]

So I got a treadmill desk for work and it changed my life. It's amazing, I started walking 10 miles a day (never thought I would walk that much consistently) I walked slowly between 1.7 - 2.5 mph. Not only did I have more energy and better mental clarity, but in the first 10 days I lost 10 lbs. Had no idea this would happen. I have lost over 25 lbs. since starting. And I've kept the weight off. But there are so many other benefits to walking. I even had clearer skin - its incredible. Walking at work changed my life. I enjoy work so much more now. Sitting down all day is the worst. Whatever you do just start walking more.

[kamalpreetsingh]

i started walking one hour between the trees and canal in the village and it gives me pleasure and never feel compelled to do it....

[janejacobs]

Everyone knows that walking is good for you. Few people know how to go about making walkability part of each community. This video by a practicing city planner gives solid examples of projects that any community can take on to make their community safer, more social, more neighborly and  more  walkable. The video also has great facts on how enhancing walkability in communities can lower the rates of clinical medical depression, markedly improve health, and increase profits for commercial businesses. A really good synopsis on why we need to encourage and plan for walkability. Excellent presentation, will use these examples in my practice. Looking forward to more from Sandra James.

[mistysedillo]

Love this, I walk at least 40 minutes each day. Forwarding this video to everyone.

[klaytonpeterson]

Thank you ...for the reminder. .reminds me of the...Peace

[lorrainelewis]

Really excellent presentation on how to recreate neighbourhoods and community within our city.

[nicolewalters]

I am an avid gardener and just started walking two weeks ago, great talk!

[thecatsister]

I am so honored to live in Vancouver BC

[ThiwankaWimalasuriya]

I started walking 6km a day and it had made me more healthy and active

[johnmagee]

Simply wonderful! Sandra brilliantly describes the social and economic benefits of walking and touches on the health effects. Shane O’ Mara, an Irish scientist, focuses on the physiological benefits of walking in his book “In Praise of Walking, ” and rounds out the case for redesigning the urban and suburban environment to encourage more walking. Surely the health, economic and environmental benefits described by Sandra and Shane, make a compelling case for drastically rethinking urban planning.

[Herovsevil]

I’m glad I found this video. I was hoping after the pandemic that walking would lose its stigma. So many good benefits and helps people go back to what works for us. Being around nature and getting time to process our thoughts.