"ZIPDOCS: Fresh Pond, A reservation of many uses for many people" is a short documentary on the history and current importance of this Cambridge landmark. Produced by members of the Cambridge Community Television ZIPDOCS class: Mark Jaquith, Doug Pouliot, Steve Schnapp and John Roberts.

According to a joint study by Prevention magazine and the American Podiatric Medical Association, more Cambridge residents walk to work than in any other city in the US.

Cambridge also has more parks per square mile than any other city! Our famous historic squares (Central, Kendall, Harvard, Porter, Inman, Lechmere) and our (debatable) traffic calming program (designed for pedestrians rather than motorists) contributed to this.

This year Prevention and the APMA evaluated more than 500 U.S. cities on 14 walking criteria, including the percentage of adults who walk to work, number of parks per square mile, use of mass transit, and percentage of adults who walk for fitness.

This year they also named the best walking city in each state's ten most populated cities.

Prevention and the APMA measure the walkability of America’s cities each year.

Walking is the most popular form of exercise; 87.5 percent of Americans walk for fitness.

New York was ranked second, and Ann Arbor, Michigan third. (The worst were Oklahoma City, North Las Vegas, and Gadsden, AL.)

10 Best U.S. Walking Cities of 2008
1. Cambridge, MA
2. New York, N.Y. read more...

By Karen Klinger

For years, Boston has boasted of being "America's Walking City," but a recent study confirms what people on the left bank of the Charles River already knew: the title really belongs to Cambridge.

Not ones to gloat, Cantabrigians have been taking in stride news that Prevention magazine, together with the American Podiatric Medical Association, has proclaimed their town the country's top walking metropolis.

"Residents of Cambridge, MA, give yourselves a pat on the back--you live in the No. 1 walking city in the nation, and much of that is due to you!" the health and fitness magazine says in its April edition, noting that more Cambridge residents walk to work than in any other city in the United States, while also ranking seventh in use of mass transit and 12th in lowest ratio of cars to households. The publication also calculates that Cambridge has more parks per square mile than anywhere else in the country and ranks 15th in school density. read more...