Episode 207: Walking is one of the simplest, healthiest, and most accessible things a person can do. It strengthens the heart, reduces stress, helps maintain a healthy weight and boosts mental well-being. Yet, in the United States, daily walking has quietly slipped out of many people’s lives.

Hosts Richard Kyte and Scott Rada dig into why that happened — and why it matters far beyond personal health. They trace the decades-long shift toward designing towns and cities almost entirely around cars, making short trips on foot less safe, less convenient and, in many cases, practically impossible.

The hosts talk about how changes in school design, neighborhood planning, and even parental habits have contributed to fewer children walking or biking to school. They share striking statistics: in 1969, roughly half of U.S. children walked or biked to school. Today, it’s about 10 percent. And it’s not because more kids are taking the bus — parents are driving them, even for distances as short as a few blocks.

The conversation also dives into the health consequences of this shift — from rising childhood obesity to declining mental health — and the irony that fears about letting kids move around independently are often exaggerated. Kyte shares data showing how rare stranger danger actually is, while Rada points out that cellphones now make unsupervised outdoor time even safer than in previous generations.

They explore potential fixes, from “walking school buses” to car-free zones near schools to “Drive to Five” programs that encourage parents to park a short distance away and let kids walk the rest. But solutions aren’t just about sidewalks — they require changes in mindset, city planning, and community culture.

Links to stories discussed during the podcast

Uphill both ways? That's probably not such a terrible thing, Richard Kyte

US report card on physical activity for children and youth, Physical Activity Alliance

Young children who walk or bike to school are more likely to continue the habits as they age, Greg Bruno, Rutgers

Video: Why did kids stop walking to school?, About Here

Video: Why America can't build walkable cities, flurfdesign

Help! Our neighbor kept calling the cops on my kids. Well, my son took matters into his own hands, Jenee Desmond Harris, Slate