Public Health Experts Give America an “F” on Walkability

Walking should be an easy way to get some physical activity and exercise. But America has spent decades engineering the simple act of using your own two feet out of daily life, and the public health community is starting to speak up about it.

The U.S. gets failing grades on walkability in a withering new report [PDF] from the National Physical Activity Plan, a coalition that includes public health behemoths like the American Cancer Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Medical Association.

The coalition handed out a report card that consists almost entirely of “F”s across a range of walking measures:

Here’s a closer look at a few of these grades.

Funding for pedestrian infrastructure: F

NPAP looked at how much states spend on biking and walking infrastructure per capita. Based on the recommendation of active transportation advocates that 3 percent of surface transportation spending should go to walking and biking infrastructure, NPAP set $5.26 per capita as the baseline annual level of funding for a passing grade.

As a whole, America comes in at about half that level of investment, with the average state spending just $2.47 per capita. Only five states met the $5.26 threshold, hence the failing grade.