Plymouth officials will soon be looking at ways to make it easier to get around the city by bike or on foot. Plymouth is one of seven cities in the state that have been selected to host an Active Living Workshop.
The daylong events are being put on by the Purdue Extension Nutrition Education Program and Health by Design, a statewide coalition that works to build communities that encourage healthy living. The goal of this summer’s workshops is to come up with ways to make cities healthier by making them more bikeable, walkable and accessible for everyone.
During Plymouth’s workshop, government officials, civic leaders, and others will gather to discuss possible improvements. Presenters will also be on hand to help participants identify some of the issues facing the community. To do that, they may be taking part in a variety of activities, including a walk audit to assess the sidewalks and streets, mapping exercises to evaluate access to important destinations, and a streetscape visualization to help consider improvements to specific intersections or corridors.
Plymouth is already working on a few improvements, such as its Safe Routes to School Project and the second phase of the Greenway Trail. However, the city’s Board of Works also heard a complaint in recent weeks about the difficulty of traveling through certain parts of the city on foot.
For more information or to take part in Plymouth’s Active Living Workshop, contact Marshall County’s Purdue Extension Community Wellness Coordinator Sandy Read at 574-935-8545.
