Walk and Bike Friendly Communities

Help Create More Vibrant Communities

Minnesotans want and need safe places to walk and bike, whether for recreation or transportation purposes. Walking and biking are important contributors to the health of our residents – that’s why the Minnesota Department of Health and its partners support work to make it easier to walk and bike in communities across Minnesota.

How MDH Supports This Work

MDH is helping communities expand opportunities to be active by:

• Providing technical assistance and training to Statewide Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP) grantees working on active living strategies.
• Offering facilitator training for public health professionals to conduct Active Community Workshops, which assess a community’s current bicycle friendly efforts and work to create a community action plan for further improvement.
• Supporting Bikeable Community Workshops, which train local staff, community leaders and bike champions to create a more bike friendly community. Learn more at BikeMN’s Bikeable Community Workshops page.
• Working on state level physical activity policies.

What You Can Do

• Encourage your school to implement Safe Routes to School and offer the Walk! Bike! Fun! Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Curriculum to educators.
• Participate in community bike rides or Walk to School Day events in your community.
• Support ways your community can take steps to become more bikeable and walkable.