Alliance for Biking & Walking

Alliance for Biking & Walking
Name	Alliance for Biking & Walking
Formation	1996
Type	Nonprofit
Headquarters	United States
Region served	North America

Alliance for Biking & Walking

The Alliance for Biking & Walking is a North American nonprofit coalition that supports active transportation advocacy and infrastructure for bicycling and walking. Founded in the mid-1990s, it connects local and regional organizations to influence public policy, develop best practices, and disseminate research on safety, public health, and urban design. The Alliance works alongside municipal agencies, national nonprofits, and advocacy networks to expand multimodal networks and funding for bike and pedestrian projects.

History

The organization emerged during a period of renewed interest in urban planning and sustainable transport influenced by figures and events such as Janette Sadik‑Khan, Enrique Peñalosa, New Urbanism, Congress for the New Urbanism, and the aftermath of the 1990s United States transportation policy debates. Early collaborators included advocacy groups like Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, League of American Bicyclists, and municipal programs in cities such as Portland, Oregon, Minneapolis, New York City, and San Francisco. Throughout the 2000s the Alliance expanded its scope in parallel with federal initiatives including the Safe Routes to School program, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, and later reauthorizations like the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act. Key milestones involved national conferences that brought together stakeholders from agencies like the Federal Highway Administration, public health institutions such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and planning organizations including the American Planning Association.

Mission and Programs

The Alliance’s mission aligns with goals advanced by organizations such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Trust for Public Land, American Heart Association, and municipal partners like Seattle Department of Transportation to promote safe, equitable, and accessible bicycling and walking. Programmatic areas include capacity building for local groups, technical assistance modeled after best practices from Dutch Cycling Embassy, urban design guidance influenced by the Copenhagenize Design Co. approach, and training curricula comparable to offerings by National Association of City Transportation Officials and Institute of Transportation Engineers. The Alliance operates national campaigns and grant programs that echo initiatives from foundations such as the Kresge Foundation and agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency.

Advocacy and Policy Initiatives

Advocacy efforts mirror policy strategies used by coalitions like America Walks, Transportation for America, and Smart Growth America to influence legislation at municipal, state, and federal levels. The Alliance has engaged in campaigns around funding similar to the Highway Trust Fund, grant programs akin to the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, and standards comparable to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. It supports policy tools promoted by ICLEI USA, U.S. Conference of Mayors, and state departments such as the California Department of Transportation to advance complete streets, Vision Zero programs inspired by Stockholm and Helsingborg examples, and bicycle-friendly community criteria developed by the League of American Bicyclists.

Research and Publications

The Alliance produces data-driven reports and benchmarking tools that complement research from academic institutions like Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, and University of Minnesota. Publications have analyzed travel behavior similar to studies by the National Household Travel Survey, safety metrics used by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and economic impact assessments resonant with reports from Brookings Institution and Urban Institute. The Alliance’s research informs design guidance, funding prioritization, and evaluation frameworks that practitioners from agencies such as Metropolitan Transportation Commission and nonprofits like Bike Pittsburgh use in planning and advocacy.

Partnerships and Member Organizations

The coalition includes member organizations ranging from national nonprofits such as League of American Bicyclists, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, and America Walks to local advocacy groups in cities like Chicago, Boston, Denver, and Philadelphia. Partnerships extend to public health bodies including the American Public Health Association and local health departments, philanthropic partners like William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and research collaborators at institutions such as MIT and Columbia University. The Alliance coordinates with transit agencies including Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York) and regional planning bodies like Metropolitan Council (Minnesota) to integrate walking and biking into broader mobility systems.

Funding and Governance

Funding for the Alliance has historically come from a mix of philanthropic grants, member dues, program fees, and project-specific support from entities like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kresge Foundation, and corporate sponsors active in mobility and bicycle manufacturing such as Specialized Bicycle Components and Trek Bicycle Corporation. Governance follows a nonprofit board model with representation from advocacy leaders, urban planners, public health experts, and municipal officials similar to boards of organizations like Smart Growth America and Transportation for America. Financial oversight and strategic direction are informed by partnerships with legal and fiscal intermediaries comparable to National Network of Public Health Institutes and foundation fiscal sponsorship practices.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States