In July, The City of Boise, in partnership with Boise Regional REALTORS® (BRR), hosted a WalkShop with the purpose to start a conversation around future improvements to the Orchard Street Corridor. The WalkShop was made possible by a Walkability Study Analysis grant from BRR and the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).
Elected officials, local business owners, and community stakeholders toured the Orchard Corridor by bus and then on foot. Then they broke into groups to brainstorm ideas and create an action plan to increase access and improve walkability in this area. The results of the study were later presented to the ACHD Commission and Boise City Council. The WalkShop was facilitated by Blue Zones, an organization that researches and promotes walkable communities among other healthy living tenets. This project was another success for the REALTOR® Party, and was featured in an REALTOR® Action Center article, “Boise Regional REALTORS® Bring Resources and Expertise to Revitalize Urban Corridor.”
What exactly is “walkability?” The National Association of REALTORS® defines it as a community where “residents can walk, bike or take public transit (light rail, trolleys and/or buses) to grocery stores, shops, schools, work, cafes, markets, playgrounds, and parks. Walkable communities have a mix of housing types as well as mixed-use buildings that combine residential, office, and retail. They can be high-rise urban neighborhoods, traditional downtowns, and main streets, or suburban town centers.”
Find more information on the importance of walkability in communities in the following links:
- Healthy Built Environments presentation from Blue Zones
- Walkable Communities from the REALTOR® Action Center website
- What REALTORS® Should Know Fact Sheet from NAR
- Walkability and Healthy City-Making by Blue Zones
- “Walkable Neighborhoods” in the REALTORS®& Smart Growth On Common Ground publication
What does Orchard Street look like now? Click the images below to see 360-degree views of Orchard. Use your mouse to click and drag to change perspective, or rotate your mobile device.
Orchard Street and Morris Hill Road
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Orchard Street and Fairmont Street
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Orchard Street and Emerald Street
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