Written by Sarah J Kyle
Harding University alum Aaron Ogle was recently recognized onPlanetizen’s Top 10list for his Web site,Walkshed, which promotes walking as a green form of transportation.
Ogle graduated from Harding in 2002 with a degree in Computer Science. While living in Seattle some time after graduation, he was introduced to a concept created by Alan Durning of the Sightline Institute.
Durning proposed having a “walkshed” that would rate a specific location according to the amount, and variation, of activities and amenities within one-mile: its “walkability.”
A pioneer site, Walk Score, was created a year after Durning’s concept was introduced, but had several kinks that still needed to be worked out. Ogle decided to create an additional site that could master the kinks Walk Score faced, and developed what is now Walkshed Philadelphia and Walkshed New York under the company he works for as a software developer,Azavea.
Ogle said that the purpose of Walkshed is simple to him: promoting walkable living and measuring its accessibility in various locations.
“Walkable cities and towns have been shown to be more vibrant, safe, economically robust, beautiful and tend to have higher real estate value,” Ogle said. “But until recently, there has been no good way to measure walkability, and therefore no way to benchmark how various policies or programs to help make a place more walkable.”
The solution? Walkshed.
“Walkshed is currently the most sophisticated tool available for measuring walkability, and therefore a promising tool for measuring the effectiveness of new policies and programs,” Ogle said.
Ogle said he believes that Walkshed’s benefits extend to a variety of people, from citizens to entrepreneurs to government organizations and officials.
For citizens, Ogle believes that Walkshed will help promote a healthier, happier and more efficient lifestyle, allowing a reduction in fuel consumption and an increase of human interaction.
Entrepreneurs can then build on those benefits, using Walkshed to select business locations with greater walkability. Ogle said this benefit is increased by a recent study that shows that shoppers who drive to locations tend to spend less money that those who use other means of transportation, like walking.
In government, Ogle hopes to see officials using Walkshed to make more informed public policy decisions, such as eliminating “food deserts,” or areas without a grocery store within walking distance.
On a more personal level, Ogle said he sees Walkshed as an extension of his Christian duty to care for God’s creation, as described in Romans 8:19-23.
“I would point out that the Christian hope is not only for humanity, but for all of creation,” Ogle said. “This hope, along with humanity’s charge to be stewards of creation, has been exceptionally motivational and a true joy for me in my life.”
According to Ogle, the opportunity to support his faith by using his professional talent has been not only a fulfillment of duty, but also a truly refreshing experience.
“Walkshed has been the confluence of both my skills as a software developer and my Christian faith. Finding ethical expression in one’s work like this seems to be a rare blessing and I am very thankful for it,” Ogle said.
Regarding the recent recognition by Planetizen, Ogle said he was honored and shocked, as the list is based not on submissions, but nominations according to the following criteria: content, design and usability.
“It was really exciting. I had no idea it was coming, so I was completely surprised,” Ogle said. “We were all pretty giddy the rest of the day [after finding out]. It feels really good to get recognized for hard work.”
