Northside Walk Audit
October 30, 2018
On September 28, 2018, a walk audit was conducted along three busy corridors in Syracuse’s Northside neighborhood along Oak, Butternut and Park Streets. The audit was planned by representatives from Interfaith Works, Northside UP, the local American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) chapter, Northside Learning Center, Hopeprint, Northeast Community Center and the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion at Syracuse University. 
The organizations involved in the planning of the audit identified these streets as some of the busiest corridors in the neighborhood and location of schools, the public library and businesses and service providers utilized by many who reside in the area. Utilizing a walk audit tool developed by the AARP, the event was organized in response to a recognized need for improvements to create a pedestrian friendly, safer Northside neighborhood. A walk audit is a simple tool that can be utilized to identify areas of a neighborhood that may be problematic for pedestrians, including people with disabilities, limited mobility or families with young children in strollers.
The information collected during the audit can be shared with neighborhood stakeholders to advocate for improvements that result in a built environment that is safer and healthier for pedestrians. A diverse group of nearly 40 volunteers made up of residents, neighborhood service providers, elected officials and police officers were divided into eight teams and assigned a block of either Oak, Park or Butternut streets. Their task was to observe and assess their assigned area using the walk audit tool and identify potential areas for improvement.
Read the full walk audit report. Northside Walk Audit Report
The organizations involved in the planning of the audit identified these streets as some of the busiest corridors in the neighborhood and location of schools, the public library and businesses and service providers utilized by many who reside in the area. Utilizing a walk audit tool developed by the AARP, the event was organized in response to a recognized need for improvements to create a pedestrian friendly, safer Northside neighborhood. A walk audit is a simple tool that can be utilized to identify areas of a neighborhood that may be problematic for pedestrians, including people with disabilities, limited mobility or families with young children in strollers.
The information collected during the audit can be shared with neighborhood stakeholders to advocate for improvements that result in a built environment that is safer and healthier for pedestrians. A diverse group of nearly 40 volunteers made up of residents, neighborhood service providers, elected officials and police officers were divided into eight teams and assigned a block of either Oak, Park or Butternut streets. Their task was to observe and assess their assigned area using the walk audit tool and identify potential areas for improvement.
Read the full walk audit report. Northside Walk Audit Report