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Walkability Index Helps Journalists Highlight Planning Issues [1]

Many local government decisions come down to a key factor: walkability. And that’s not just a question of transportation infrastructure. As the latest Reporter’s Toolbox notes, walkability is also an environmental consideration. To turn that simple truth into stories about the built environment, here’s a high-quality, mappable walkability index. How to use the database smartly, plus questions to ask that will get your reporting started.

SEJ Publication Types: 
Reporters Toolbox [2]
Topics on the Beat: 
Climate Change [3]
Environmental Politics [4]
Government [5]
Infrastructure [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
People & Population [8]
Planning & Growth [9]
Policy [10]
Transportation [11]
Region: 
National (U.S.) [12]
Visibility: 
Public [13]
  • Read more about Walkability Index Helps Journalists Highlight Planning Issues [1]

"How Mass Emails Eroded Support For A North Carolina Pipeline" [14]

"Williams Cos. went online to seek local backing for its Transco expansion project, but the effort may have backfired." 

Energy & Fuel [15]
Environmental Politics [4]
Infrastructure [6]
Journalism & Media [7]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Pollution [17]
Transportation [11]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [12]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [18]
Source: E&E News [19], 09/04/2025
  • Read more about "How Mass Emails Eroded Support For A North Carolina Pipeline" [14]

"Republicans Secure Massive Water, Environment Earmarks" [20]

"GOP lawmakers could nab hundreds of millions of dollars for major water projects if fiscal 2026 spending bills become law."

Economy & Business [21]
Energy & Fuel [15]
Environmental Politics [4]
Infrastructure [6]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Transportation [11]
Water & Oceans [22]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [12]
Source: E&E News [23], 09/04/2025
  • Read more about "Republicans Secure Massive Water, Environment Earmarks" [20]

"Hurricane Science Has Come Far Since Katrina. That Progress Is Now At Risk" [24]

"In the 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, hurricane scientists have made great strides toward understanding how climate change influences tropical cyclones, at the same time as they have vastly improved hurricane forecasting. Better forecasts, in turn, save the country billions every time a storm makes landfall, according to a 2024 analysis published in the National Bureau of Economic Research."

Climate Change [3]
Disasters [25]
Environmental Health [26]
Environmental Justice [27]
Environmental Politics [4]
Environmental Studies [28]
Government [5]
Infrastructure [6]
People & Population [8]
Transportation [11]
Water & Oceans [22]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [12]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [18]
Source: NPR [29], 08/28/2025
  • Read more about "Hurricane Science Has Come Far Since Katrina. That Progress Is Now At Risk" [24]

Aging US Railroad Bridges Are Self-Inspected And Findings Are Kept Secret [30]

"The fire burned for about nine hours, billowing smoke and scorching the wooden trestles of a nearly 75-year-old railroad bridge that spans the Marys River in Corvallis, home to Oregon State University."

Chemicals [31]
Disasters [25]
Environmental Justice [27]
Environmental Politics [4]
Infrastructure [6]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Pollution [17]
Transportation [11]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [12]
Northwest (OR WA) [32]
Source: Howard Center [33], 08/25/2025
  • Read more about Aging US Railroad Bridges Are Self-Inspected And Findings Are Kept Secret [30]

"Many Towns Are Unprepared To Handle Train Derailments And Hazmat Spills" [34]

"A train derails and spills at least 1,000 gallons of hazardous materials in the U.S. about once every two months. Nearly half of those derailments resulted in evacuations; more than a quarter resulted in a fire or explosion since 2015, an analysis of federal derailment data showed. And many communities along the rail lines aren’t prepared to keep people safe when it happens."

Chemicals [31]
Disasters [25]
Energy & Fuel [15]
Environmental Health [26]
Government [5]
Infrastructure [6]
People & Population [8]
Pollution [17]
Transportation [11]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [12]
Source: Howard Center [35], 08/21/2025
  • Read more about "Many Towns Are Unprepared To Handle Train Derailments And Hazmat Spills" [34]

GOP Looks To Make A U-Turn On Electric Vehicles For The Postal Service [36]

"A year after being lauded for its plan to replace thousands of aging, gas-powered mail trucks with a mostly electric fleet, the U.S. Postal Service is facing congressional attempts to strip billions in federal EV funding."

Climate Change [3]
Energy & Fuel [15]
Government [5]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Pollution [17]
Transportation [11]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [12]
Source: AP [37], 08/19/2025
  • Read more about GOP Looks To Make A U-Turn On Electric Vehicles For The Postal Service [36]

"Trump Admin Tightens Rules For Renewable Energy Tax Credits" [38]

"Renewable projects have historically been able to qualify for federal tax credits once a developer spent 5 percent of a project’s cost. But that threshold would be scrapped under the new Treasury Department guidance."

Climate Change [3]
Consumer [39]
Economy & Business [21]
Energy & Fuel [15]
Environmental Politics [4]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Transportation [11]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [12]
Source: E&E News [40], 08/19/2025
  • Read more about "Trump Admin Tightens Rules For Renewable Energy Tax Credits" [38]

Trump FTC Blocks California’s Emissions Agreement With Truck Manufacturers [41]

"The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has declared that an emissions agreement between California and four major truck makers is “unenforceable” — paving the way for noncompliance with the Golden State’s pollution rules, which are stricter than federal standards."

Air [42]
Climate Change [3]
Consumer [39]
Economy & Business [21]
Energy & Fuel [15]
Environmental Health [26]
Environmental Politics [4]
Laws & Regulations [16]
Pollution [17]
Technology [43]
Transportation [11]
Public [13]
National (U.S.) [12]
California [44]
Source: The Hill [45], 08/15/2025
  • Read more about Trump FTC Blocks California’s Emissions Agreement With Truck Manufacturers [41]

Alabama Dredging Project In Mobile Bay Brings Together Unlikely Allies [46]

"A customer is waiting as Patrick Gormandy steers his deep-water trawler — the Captain Sam B — back to the dock after a day of shrimping on Mobile Bay."

Biodiversity [47]
Fish & Fisheries [48]
Infrastructure [6]
Natural Resources [49]
Transportation [11]
Water & Oceans [22]
Public [13]
SE (AL AR FL GA KY LA MS NC PR SC TN) [18]
Source: NPR [50], 08/13/2025
  • Read more about Alabama Dredging Project In Mobile Bay Brings Together Unlikely Allies [46]

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Source URL:https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation?page=6

Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/publications/reporters-toolbox/walkability-index-helps-journalists-highlight-planning-issues [2] https://www.sej.org/category/sej-publication-types/reporter%E2%80%99s-toolbox [3] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/climate-change [4] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-politics [5] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/government [6] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/infrastructure [7] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/journalism/media [8] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/people-population [9] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/cities-towns [10] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/policy [11] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation [12] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national [13] https://www.sej.org/taxonomy/term/81 [14] https://www.sej.org/headlines/how-mass-emails-eroded-support-north-carolina-pipeline [15] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/energy [16] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/laws [17] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/pollution [18] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/southeast [19] https://www.eenews.net/articles/how-mass-emails-eroded-support-for-a-north-carolina-pipeline/ [20] https://www.sej.org/headlines/republicans-secure-massive-water-environment-earmarks [21] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/business [22] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/water [23] https://www.eenews.net/articles/republicans-secure-massive-water-environment-earmarks/ [24] https://www.sej.org/headlines/hurricane-science-has-come-far-katrina-progress-now-risk [25] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/disaster [26] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-health [27] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmental-justice [28] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/environmentalists [29] https://www.npr.org/2025/08/20/nx-s1-5490429/science-hurricanes-climate-forecasting-since-katrina [30] https://www.sej.org/headlines/aging-us-railroad-bridges-are-self-inspected-and-findings-are-kept-secret [31] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/chemicals/toxics [32] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/northwest [33] https://howardcenter.asu.edu/off-the-rails/ [34] https://www.sej.org/headlines/many-towns-are-unprepared-handle-train-derailments-and-hazmat-spills [35] https://apnews.com/article/train-derailments-spills-response-investigation-ef581ec622c1365e9db49336178a039f [36] https://www.sej.org/headlines/gop-looks-make-u-turn-electric-vehicles-postal-service [37] https://apnews.com/article/postal-service-electric-vehicles-trump-biden-reversal-03958ff70e8209ee2bf91c266c6d4b6f [38] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-admin-tightens-rules-renewable-energy-tax-credits [39] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/consumer [40] https://www.eenews.net/articles/treasury-tightens-rules-for-renewable-energy-tax-credit-report/ [41] https://www.sej.org/headlines/trump-ftc-blocks-california-s-emissions-agreement-truck-manufacturers [42] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/air [43] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/technology [44] https://www.sej.org/category/region/national/california [45] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5450798-california-truck-emissions-ftc/ [46] https://www.sej.org/headlines/alabama-dredging-project-mobile-bay-brings-together-unlikely-allies [47] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/biodiversity-1 [48] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/fisheries [49] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/land [50] https://www.npr.org/2025/08/12/nx-s1-5468942/mobile-bay-dredging-mud-army-corps [51] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation?page=5 [52] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation?page=2 [53] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation?page=3 [54] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation?page=4 [55] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation?page=7 [56] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation?page=8 [57] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation?page=9 [58] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation?page=10 [59] https://www.sej.org/category/topics-beat/transportation?page=153