The weather will cool down a bit any day now but still stay lovely, so it’s the perfect time to get out and walk during — as Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition (PasCSC) calls it — WALKTOBER. The organization has a healthy lineup up of events to help you do just that.
This year events are a combination of guided in-person walks and self-guided walking tours. (Of course, due to the on-going pandemic, the activities are following COVID-19 safety protocols for the in-person walks.)
Walktober is an annual national (and international) promotion to encourage walking, with communities from Pasadena to Portland, OR to Raleigh, NC, to Adelaide, Australia, organizing events.
Here in Pasadena, PasCSC has partnered with local organizations and community members to put together a month-long calendar of more than 25 virtual and in-person walks, tours, and community events.
The slate of events reflects a wide range of reasons and ways to enjoy this deeply human activity. Be it for everyday exercise, mental health, to meet new people, learn about the city, or simply to get to work or school, we hope to inspire Pasadenans by promoting and collaborating to provide something for just about everyone.
Highlights include:
• Secret staircase walk through Poppy Peak and Garvanza
• Day of the Dead altar walk through the Playhouse District
• Birdwalk through Hahamongna Watershed Park with an expert birder and naturalist
• Early 20th century architecture walk through Madison Heights and Oak Knoll neighborhoods
• Self-guided tour of the African American history of Pasadena
• Self-guided walks showcasing public art and architecture in Old Pasadena alleyways, Caltech,
Playhouse District, Sunset Avenue, Lake Avenue and more!
• Online tour of Old Pasadena
In keeping with the Complete Streets mission of “streets for everybody,” community members with impaired physical mobility are warmly welcomed to join us, and we encourage walkers to help neighbors, friends, and family who need walking assistance to get out and enjoy Pasadena’s streets together, too. Anyone who is interested in promoting their walk (or roll) on the Walktober calendar is invited to e-mail PasCSC at info@PasadenaCSC.org. Click here to view flyer.
Last but not least, just like in 2020, PasCSC is dedicating Walktober 2021 to all people who were injured or killed while walking in Pasadena in the past year. “We also recognize that streets are not safe until we are all safe, therefore we must commit to ensuring that all Black lives matter. We call on the Pasadena city council, the Pasadena Department of Transportation, and all people who walk (i.e., just about everyone) to support policies and practices that make our streets places where people of all ages, abilities, and identities can walk safely and comfortably.”
About the Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition
The Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition is an all-volunteer community advocacy group that shares a simple vision: A city where people can walk, bike, skate, and scoot, with cleaner air and safer, stress-free streets for everybody. Learn more about us at www.PasadenaCSC.org.
“Complete Streets” is an approach to street and transportation design that recognizes that people and communities benefit when streets are designed for the safety, ease of function, and comfort of all users. Complete Streets policies and design tools are embraced by over 1,300 communities and agencies nationwide, plus the U.S. Dept. of Transportation.
Learn more about Complete Streets at:
• The U.S. Dept. of Transportation – www.transportation.gov/mission/health/complete-streets
• The National Complete Streets Coalition – https://smartgrowthamerica.org/program/national-complete-streets-coalition.
