Our Mission
Oregon Walks promotes walking and advocates for safe, convenient, and attractive walking conditions as an essential part of thriving, sustainable, and connected communities.
We envision a future where every Oregonian – regardless of race, age, ability, or income – has the freedom to walk or roll easily and safely.
The path to achieving our vision is based on these values and principles:
- We ground our work in justice, equity, and accessibility, prioritizing underrepresented communities.
- Walking as a dignified and safe form of transportation is a right, not a privilege. Human-centric infrastructure accessible to people of all abilities is an inherent part of that right.
- Walkable neighborhoods are essential to the physical, mental, social, and economic health of communities.
- Walking can be a joyful activity that brings people closer to each other and to nature, whether undertaken for transportation or for recreation.
- Walkability is integral to reducing climate change and air pollution, which disproportionately impact vulnerable populations.
- We value our agency and organizational relationships and our collaborative partnerships with community-based organizations.
History
Launched in 1991, Oregon Walks (known as the Willamette Pedestrian Coalition before November 2012) has brought people forward as a constituency whose walking needs must be taken seriously. Smart, unpretentious and passionate about the cause, Oregon Walks has left footprints around the city and state (in some cases, around the nation), all in an effort to bring walking into the multi-modal 21st century.