Living Streets is the UK charity for everyday walking. Based in London, it works to make walking and wheeling the natural choice for short local journeys. Its mission combines advocacy and practical programmes: improving the walking environment, encouraging people to walk more, and pressing for streets that are safer, cleaner and easier to use for pedestrians.
The organisation traces its roots to 1929, when it was founded as the Pedestrians’ Association. It later became the Pedestrians’ Association for Road Safety, before adopting the Living Streets name in 2001. Today, it operates across the UK, with activity in England, Scotland and Wales, and supports a network of local groups. It also provides services and consultancy for local authorities and other partners.
Living Streets is best known for its school-focused work. Its flagship Walk to School campaign, including WOW and Walk to School Week, reaches more than one million children in around 4,000 schools. The charity uses these programmes to encourage active travel, reduce traffic at school gates and build walking habits early. It also runs National Walking Month every May, a wider public campaign promoting walking for health, wellbeing and local economies.
Among its recent campaigns, Living Streets has pushed to end pavement parking and has supported policy change in Scotland and England. It also works on local street design, accessibility, and planning policies that favour walking over car-dependent development. Through its local groups and national campaigns, Living Streets occupies a long-standing place in UK transport and public-health advocacy.