Walking is known to be beneficial for health and yet fewer and fewer people are walking these days. What are the reasons for this? What can be done to tackle this problem?

There are a number of activities, people resort to, in order to stay healthy. One of them is taking a walk

that is

,

however

, losing its followers nowadays. Whereas the lack of relevant infrastructure and present lifestyle cause

this

, walking can be still popularised with the help of proper urban planning and state initiatives. The deficiency in spaces with necessary facilities, and the current way of life lead most to be reluctant to go for a stroll. Unless the residential areas and public places are planned right, the priority of parking and commercial zones frequently overshadow that of land reserved for pedestrians.

As a result

, the community becomes devoid of any possibility to have a walk where they reside and recreate.

This

is

further

exacerbated by the life led by us today

that is

heavily sedentary given the option to always have a variety of transportation means at our disposal. The aforementioned two factors in combination render walking increasingly obsolete.

Nevertheless

, tailor-made urban projects and government actions are able to instil in society a desire to walk. Whilst creating design concepts for a town, it would be conducive to take into account not only the importance of roads and cycle lanes

,

Remove the comma

apply

show examples

but

also

that of pavements. The presence of sidewalks both well-connected to places of interest and usable in all weather conditions could make inhabitants take a path for pleasure or exercise. In

this

sense, state officials can

also

contribute to the

further

popularisation of walking. To reach

this

, various sponsored marathons and hiking trips ought to be organised, while the Uzbek government's plan,

for instance

, to reward those walking a lot financially could be

also

applied in other countries. Realising these ideas would,

hence

, ultimately turn walking into an everyday beloved activity. In conclusion, once the necessary sites are erected, and state measures are taken, more and more individuals can be encouraged to develop a walking habit.