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I honestly expected to sleepwalk through the Equal Footing Summit.

The half-day visioning session for America Walks this past September came on the heels of the Alliance Leadership Retreat. It was shoehorned between the end of the Pro Walk Pro Bike conference and the start of Interbike in Las Vegas. I’m not going to lie; I was more than a little fried.

Maybe it was the incredible, unparalleled energy of Mark Fenton. Maybe it was the interactive format of the session. But the Equal Footing Summit turned out to be the most energizing four hours I spent in Chattanooga.

I wasn’t alone in my assessment. And the action is just getting started.

Last month, America Walks released its new Strategic Campaign Plan, which notes, “The Equal Footing Summit was a powerful event that will shape the future of walking in America.” That summit was the first step in an exciting re-launch of the pedestrian advocacy organization and the 11-page campaign plan is the blueprint for moving forward. Today is the last day to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

“America Walks is transformed with a new mission, vision and organizational structure,” the document promises. What does that mean exactly? Here are the highlights:

• The group is giving every individual American the chance to connect with the campaign by adding their signature to the 2020 Vision Statement. By 2012, America Walks hopes, 50,000 individuals will have signed on to the goal of creating “streets and neighborhoods [that] are safe and attractive public places that encourage people of all ages, abilities, ethnicities and incomes to walk for exercise, recreation and transportation.”

• The organization plans to build a unified national voice for walking by shifting from a membership-based organization, with 26 member organizations, to a broad coalition, with 500 partners by the end of 2011.

• America Walks will have a visible presence in Washington, DC — creating a federal walking policy platform and hiring full-time staff to advance its priorities in the halls of Congress.

• The organization won’t just act as a clearinghouse for information, but advance specific campaigns to promote innovative programs, including efforts to reduce automobile speeds and enhance access to transit for seniors.

“Over the past 50 years, our nation has systematically engineered walking out of daily life,” Mindy Craig, America Walks president, writes in the introduction. “To shift this paradigm, we need a broad-based, focused voice to fund and initiate national and local actions to improve walking in America… We hope to enlist you as an ally in advancing walking in your community, business, organization or area of impact. ”

The Alliance has signed on as an ally. I’ve added my name to 2020 Vision Statement, too. Have you?

Click here to read the plan, give your .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and add your support.