This is one of the best days to easily see whether a neighborhood is walker-friendly.
Can kids easily spend an hour or more walking from home to home, or do parents have to drive them from place to place?
Can they easily cross the streets, or does it feel dangerous?
Does it feel pleasant and safe to be [...]
Archive for October, 2006
Halloween Neighborhood Walkability Test
October 31, 2006Major Study Outlines How Toronto Can Be More Pedestrian and Bike Friendly
October 29, 2006“Toronto is just starting to exchange its ‘car is king’ model for a more mixed mobility culture that includes pedestrianism,” the University of Toronto’s Paul Hess, a geography professor, tells the school’s news service. However, “So far, pedestrian issues have been left largely unaddressed by existing planning mechanisms.”
Hess co-authored a recently released study, Toronto Streets [...]
Natick Visions of the Future Weekend
October 25, 2006This Friday, October 27, 2006, Anthony Flint will speak at the Wilson Middle School in Natick, to kick off Natick’s “Visions for the Future Weekend.” Mr. Flint is author of “This Land: The Battle over Sprawl and the Future of America.” Refreshments begin at 6:30 p.m., and Mr. Flint speaks at 7:30.
Those who live in [...]
Building Around a Transit Station: Lesson For Framingham in NorthPoint?
October 24, 2006Yesterday’s Globe story about the massive NorthPoint development in east Cambridge featured a gorgeous drawing of a new “glass-and-steel NorthPoint at Lechmere Green Line stop, the focal point of a transit-oriented development in East Cambridge.” Alas, the drawing isn’t posted online along with the story, but it’s worth taking a look if you get the [...]
Too Busy to Sit Down For Lunch
October 23, 2006One of the more depressing “American lifestyle” stories I read this week was the Globe’s piece about workers who no longer stop to eat lunch during the day.
“One-third of employees skip lunch weekly, mostly to work, and when we do eat out, it’s — no surprise — fast food, according to Mintel, a Chicago market [...]
Rodeo Pedestrian Walkway, Beverly Hills?
October 22, 2006A Beverly Hills official wants to consider banning cars from a portion of the famous upscale shopping street Rodeo Drive. “In addition to contemplating a pedestrian-only block, [Vice Mayor Jimmy] Delshad would like to see stylish food and beverage kiosks up and down Rodeo, where people could stop to enjoy cappuccino, gelato or finger sandwiches,” [...]
Framingham Democratic Caucus Endorses Pam Richardson in 6th Middlesex District
October 22, 2006This blog normally doesn’t cover politics, but because of the great interest in who will represent us after Deborah Blumer’s death, I decided to post this here. I attended the caucus as an observer, since I am registered as an independent and not a Democrat, although am a registered voter in the district.
Pam Richardson has [...]
Planning for Pedestrian & Auto Co-Existence: The Three-Sided Strip Mall
October 22, 2006The landscaping in this particular example could stand much improvement, but I like the basic idea in this Key Food strip mall. Instead of simply having one single strip of stores parallel to – but far back from – the road, the mall has three sides — sort of like a square cut in half. [...]
