SA Walking Strategy

Thank you to all South Australians who provided feedback on the draft South Australian Walking Strategy 2022-2032. 

The final Strategy, 2022-2025 Action Plan and Community Engagement Report can be accessed via the Documents folder or from Wellbeing SA's website. 

We need your feedback on the draft South Australian Walking Strategy 2022–2032.

What's being decided?

After working in partnership across-government, engaging with stakeholders and reviewing the best available evidence and evidence-based practice, we have developed a draft Walking Strategy for South Australia.

The Strategy will help to guide the planning, building and creation of walkable environments for all South Australians.

We are now seeking the views of the broader South Australian community on the draft Strategy with the proposed vision of “More South Australians walking more often; all ages, all abilities”.

We want your feedback on the draft strategy and will listen to your concerns, consider your insights, and provide feedback on our decisions.

Background

Walking is an inclusive and accessible activity that allows people to get from one place to another, can improve their health and wellbeing and provide them with an enjoyable way of spending their leisure time.

When we talk about walking, we also include jogging, running and moving with a pram or pusher, or moving with the aid of a mobility device such as a wheelchair, walking frame or the like.

Supporting more people walking more often; all ages all abilities can lead to multiple benefits to be experienced by all South Australians. These include:

• social benefits — improved health and wellbeing, increased safety, positive placemaking and increased social cohesion.
• economic benefits — increased city attractiveness, boosting the local economy, increased urban regeneration and cost savings; and
• environmental benefits — reducing greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, increased benefits to people from the natural environment, improved livability and improved transport efficiency.

Planning, building and creating walkable environments is the job of many. Because of this in order to develop the draft Strategy as it is at present we have:

1. undertaken a review and evaluation of the best available evidence and evidence-based practice;
2. have taken a coordinated cross-government approach to allow for input and commitment across sectors; and
3. have engaged with key stakeholders to seek their input and guidance.

The draft strategy has been developed in such a way to unite cross-government departments and agencies, key stakeholders, providers, funders and interest groups to better enable:

• walking for transport —more South Australians making short trips by walking.
• walking for health — more South Australians with better health and wellbeing through walking.
• walking for recreation and Sport — more South Australians accessing green open space for walking.

Get involved

To find out more please:

• read the draft Strategy
• take a look at our FAQs
• take a look at our scoping document, best practice examples and supporting videos.

Have your say by:

• completing our survey
• joining the online conversation
• taking our poll
• sharing your story with us
• email your own written submission to shanti.ditter@heartfoundation.org.au
• post your submission to:
  
  Shanti Ditter
  Heart Foundation at 155 Hutt Street
  Adelaide SA 5000

What are the next steps?

We will consider your feedback to finalise the draft South Australian Walking Strategy 2022–2032 and will share a summary on this site.

Following this engagement on the draft Strategy, we will be developing the South Australian Walking Action Plan 2022–2025. Your input and feedback here on the draft Strategy will also help to inform the Action Plan.