Walkable Communities was established in the state of Florida in 1996. It was organized for the express purposes of helping whole communities, whether they are large cities or small towns, or parts of communities, i.e. neighborhoods, business districts, parks, school districts, subdivisions, specific roadway corridors, etc., become more walkable and pedestrian friendly.

It is the organization's premise that:

Walkability is the cornerstone and key to an urban area's efficient ground transportation. Every trip begins and ends with walking. Walking remains the cheapest form of transport for all people, and the construction of a walkable community provides the most affordable transportation system any community can plan, design, construct and maintain. Walkable communities put urban environments back on a scale for sustainability of resources (both natural and economic) and lead to more social interaction, physical fitness and diminished crime and other social problems. Walkable communities are more liveable communities and lead to whole, happy, healthy lives for the people who live in them.

The services provided by Walkable Communities are:

• presentations,
• walkable audits (to help determine specific problems and solutions),
• training courses,
• workshops,
• planning and visioning charrettes to facilitate community planning efforts, and
• mediation in community disputes over planning issues.

Walkable Communities also provides a small inventory of publications and photo CDs to assist in further educating people interested in the related issues of community planning and zoning, traffic calming, street and intersection design, specific bicycle and pedestrian facility design, ADA requirements and public involvement processes.

Walkable Communities has assisted federal, state and local governments and their related agencies - both elected officials and staff, developers, neighborhood associations, chambers of commerce, planning and engineering consultants, community groups and other non-profit organizations in their quest to make their communities more liveable and sustainable.

Dan Burden is the Director of Walkable Communities, who teams with Glatting Jackson and other team members as needed for specific projects from universities, city and county governments, consulting firms or retired business or political leaders who have made a difference in their towns and cities. Team members have included senior level town planners, traffic management and traffic calming engineers, landscape architects, photographers, security specialists, safety and education consultants, and workshop facilitators.