Joyful Movement
About the Program
Joyful Movement is a core pillar of Pinnacle Prevention’s mission. Joyful movement refers to not only the ability for individuals to move their bodies and be active but also the movement of people from place to place.
What is Joyful Movement?
Joyful Movement is a core pillar of Pinnacle Prevention’s mission. Joyful movement refers to not only the ability for individuals to move their bodies and be active but also the movement of people from place to place.
To move with joy in our communities, we need safe, well-designed, and well-maintained infrastructure. There is no joy in driving on crumbling and congested roads. There is no joy in waiting 30 minutes for the bus in 110 degree heat. And there is no joy in fearing for your life when you walk across the street. Whether you are in a car, on the bus, on a bike, or on foot, you deserve to get where you are going safely. That’s why Pinnacle Prevention has, for over a decade, worked on initiatives that help create safer and more active communities.
Safe and active communities support individuals in how they choose to exercise, recreate, and get from point A to point B.
Active Transportation
As the 48th state, much of the growth of Arizona’s population came following the invention and proliferation of the automobile. After refrigeration and air conditioning became more accessible in the mid 1900’s, the state experienced a population boom. By 1960, Arizona’s population had exceeded 1 million people. Today, Arizona’s population exceeds 7.3 million. In every decade since the 1960’s, Arizona has outpaced national growth trends. Between 2010 – 2020, Arizona was one of the nation’s 10 fastest growing states
For nearly a century, the state’s level and patterns of growth, especially in the state’s most populous counties, have led to an abundance of suburban neighborhoods. Connecting people in suburbia to work, school and other destinations has resulted in heavy investment in roads and highways. An unintended consequence of planning and building communities around the need for car travel has been a lack of infrastructure for walking, biking, and rolling.
Inadequate infrastructure, paired with a dominant culture that favors cars over human-powered transportation options has been a recipe for alarming rates of pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and fatalities. Between 2013 and 2023, Arizona’s population grew by 13%. During the same time period, annual traffic fatalities statewide grew by 55%. This figure goes up to 90% for pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities.
What Pinnacle Does:
- Engages in community planning initiatives to help support expansion of active transportation facilities
- Helps center lived experiences of community members that hold the biggest stakes in how their street and trail networks are developed
- Spreads awareness about federal and state funding sources that support walking, biking, and safe routes to school
Read the blog about our work with a City of Phoenix program designed to create more walkable and bikeable communities. Pinnacle serves on various Arizona Dept. of Transportation committees associated with its Active Transportation Program. Learn more about ADOT’s work here: https://activetransportation.az.gov/
Transit
An array of transportation options, including a high-quality public transit system and convenient walking and biking options, are necessary to move the large population of residents and visitors throughout Arizona on any given day.
Quality public transit systems provide affordable mobility options that allow individuals to access basic needs such as health care, food, and recreation. This is especially true for those that do not own a car or those that are physically impaired or immobile.
Connecting public transit, sidewalks, trails, and pathways to key destinations can also help to improve levels of physical activity. Furthermore, a suite of safe and accessible transportation options help individuals venture out of the house and foster increased social connection.
Read the blog and report about Pinnacle’s work with the City of Mesa and Valley Metro to engage Mesa residents on the future of the City’s Transit options and operations.
Parks and Recreation
Parks are some of Arizona communities’ greatest assets. From Grand Canyon National Park, which receives close to 5,000,000 visitors each year, to the local city playground, parks and recreation facilities provide public space for people to move, discover, connect, or just be. In 2018, Pinnacle Prevention turned our attention to the disparity in the number and quality of parks facilities that exists between urban and rural Arizona communities. Since then, we have worked to support policies, programs, and grassroots efforts that help expand places for people to play in rural and indigenous communities across the state
Read our report: Active Living in Arizona’s Rural Communities: A Call to Action