Walking is one of the simplest ways to change your day and how you perceive the city around you. Instead of taking the tram or bus, just go for a walk every now and then. Familiar routes will gradually transform into a new experience, where we notice more details, people, and the architecture itself. This is the idea behind the 10,000 Step Challenge, which runs from April 1 to 30, 2026, and encourages people across the country to bring walking back into their daily lives.

10,000 steps: A simple change for cities and everyday life

The challenge is about making small changes to our habits. It’s about trying to walk more and sit less or occasionally choosing to walk instead of taking public transit or driving. Individuals, teams, schools, and cities across the country are joining the project, and together they’re showing that even small decisions regarding daily movement can influence how vibrant, safe, and pleasant a city is. The project is backed by the Partnership for Urban Mobility, which has long been promoting the topic of sustainable mobility.

The city seen on foot: Architecture in everyday movement

When walking, the city slows down and shifts perspective. The space we merely pass through becomes an environment we actively perceive. We read its structure, notice facades, details, public spaces, and the atmosphere of individual streets. Architecture thus reveals itself not merely as individual buildings, but as a holistic experience that unfolds in motion and time, and it is precisely through this that we form a much stronger connection to the place.

ARCHIP in context: A city we learn to read in motion

The theme of walking and public space is also close to ARCHIP’s heart. The school’s rector, Regina Loukotová, has repeatedly spoken out in the media about the 10,000 Steps Challenge, noting that walking fundamentally changes the way we perceive the city: “It slows us down, connects us with our surroundings, and allows us to better understand its strengths and challenges. For architecture students, it is also a simple yet essential way to get to know the city in practice, beyond plans and models,” says Regina.

Get out together: Students, friends, and families

The challenge is open to everyone, and that is precisely where its strength lies. ARCHIP students can approach it as a group activity and head out with classmates, friends, or family to turn a routine walk through the city into a shared experience.