When Kim Frazier started her nightly walk around the Rountree Forest neighborhood in Clayton County, she did so for both the health benefits and peace of mind. As she said, “The most significant reason to walk is for my time of spiritual reflection allowing me to clear out the ‘old’ of days gone by and to prepare for new ideas, thoughts and goals.”

On April 20, new ideas, thoughts and goals about walkability in Rountree Forest took center stage in a public workshop hosted by Sally Flocks, president of Atlanta-based PEDS (Pedestrians Educating Drivers on Safety). Ms. Flocks, an advocate for improving safety and walking conditions for pedestrians, gave a presentation to workshop participants and led a walk to assess existing conditions in Rountree Forest. The goal is to create a plan of action for improving walkability.

With the participation of citizens, stakeholders, Clayton County Senior Services and the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), the event focused on how walkability and livability benefit a community and how to achieve an active community environment. The workshop is one of several projects that are being funded through a grant to ARC from the Pfizer Foundation and Grantmakers in Aging (GIA), a national association of funders, as part of Community AGEnda: Improving America for All Ages. This effort is funding initiatives in five U.S. cities, including the Atlanta region, to help accelerate local efforts to make communities more age-friendly and places where older adults can age in place and age well.

Additional projects underway in Clayton County include new street lights for safety in the Rountree Forest neighborhood, the construction of a community gathering space in the Riverdale neighborhood of Tara Oaks and health and wellness programs. Clayton County currently has a “Lifelong Clayton” stakeholder committee dedicated to promoting and expanding Lifelong Community initiatives. The workshop inspired each participant to become involved in the neighborhood’s transformation toward active living by planning future meetings to implement the findings from the workshop.

In addition to learning about the social and health benefits of walking, Rountree Forest resident Khairat Animashaun-Ajiboye, president of the Homeowners Association, sees walking as a means of providing security to the neighborhood. “[Walking in groups] will assuage fears of stray dog attacks and the fear of vandalism, as security awareness and participation in a watch group are important for public safety.”

"This workshop is an excellent opportunity for participants to learn about the benefits of walking to the health and independence of seniors, said Ms. Flocks. “It also helps participants understand how land use and road design affect people’s ability to walk.”

She continued, “People are likely to exercise more when walking is safe, comfortable, useful and interesting. The workshop will help people in the Rountree Forest neighborhood determine low-cost changes that enable their neighborhood to become a community where more people choose to walk.”

While Ms. Flocks identified significant challenges, the good news according to Kim Frazier is that “there is a great interest in people wanting to walk the community. If the community can somehow find their way to agree on approaches to a walkable neighborhood, we’ll see a lot more people walking in our neighborhood.”

For more information, contact Grace Trimble at (404) 463-9192 or gtrimble@atlantaregional.com

About PEDS

Pedestrians Educating Drivers on Safety, Inc. (PEDS) works with government agencies, urban designers, community organizations and others to increase pedestrian safety and convenience.

About CCSS

Clayton County Senior Services mission is to enhance the quality of life for all of Clayton County's senior adult population by promoting healthy aging and caregiver programs. The focus of Senior Services is to enable seniors to maintain their independence within the community by addressing their human service needs, in addition to their leisure activity needs.  

About the Atlanta Regional Commission

The Atlanta Regional Commission is the official planning agency for the 10-county Atlanta Region, including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties as well as the City of Atlanta and 69 other cities. The Atlanta Regional Commission serves as a catalyst for regional progress by focusing leadership, attention and planning resources on key regional issues. Additional information about the agencies Lifelong Communities Initiative is available at www.atlantaregional.com/llc.