A walkable community contributes to a more enjoyable living experience. It also gives people a sense of community. From the 1940s through the 1960s, most neighborhoods, including our own, did not have something as basic as sidewalks. Cars became the primary mode of transportation. As a result, city priorities shifted from investing in sidewalks to providing automobile amenities like wider roads. Promoting a walkable community was low on the list. Therefore, there are still communities that lack basic necessities to make them walkable and pedestrian-friendly.
Sidewalks are an important part of making a community walkable and enjoyable. The lack of investment in sidewalks in and around neighborhoods all across the nation was a huge oversight.
Walkability expert and Urban Designer, Jeff Speck outlines this in his book Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America One Step At A Time. With deep conviction and a good sense of humor, he outlines how mid-size cities can compete with larger sized cities like San Francisco, New York City, and Portland.
According to Speck, a walkable city will attract and retain talent. And according to several reports, millennials want a walkable community that is close to public transit and work, and access to parks, restaurants, and shops.
After reading this book, my mindset shifted.
Speck makes compelling arguments on why walkability is not only important but necessary. It decreases fatalities, increases property values, and decreases car emissions which is a major contributor to climate change.
Speck’s writing encouraged me to be more intentional about decreasing the time I spent driving and increase the time I spent walking. Doing all of this walking made me more aware of how pedestrian-unfriendly even our neighborhood is.
Promoting a walkable community became important.
When the pandemic hit lots of people began thinking of creative ways to exercise while maintaining social distance. One concept that has been gaining traction recently is the Shared Streets Program. Our city established a Shared Streets Program in 5 or 6 communities.
A Shared street is an integrated space used to better balance the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, and low-speed motor vehicles. Typically these are relatively narrow two-lane streets. Vehicles are slowed by placing small trees, planters, and other obstacles in the street to encourage motorists to travel at much slower speeds (5-7 mph). As a result, people are more receptive to walk, roll, or ride.
The city considered the street adjacent to our neighborhood for conversion into a Shared Street. It’s a major artery to Center City and runs parallel to one of our major interstates. It’s a beautiful tree-lined street with an adjacent creek. It seemed like the perfect street to implement this initiative. But first, we needed to demonstrate community support.
I learned about this initiative and began sharing my thoughts with my neighbors to garner their support. Some of my key selling points:
1) Promotes exercise
2) More likely the city helps maintain the street, which was historically neglected.
3) Reduces cars speeding in and around our neighborhood
4) Increases our chances of getting more sidewalks
In June 2020, the street was approved for the shared streets program.
Walkability adds value to most neighborhoods and gives the young, old, and everyone in between a chance to safely move about. In addition, it promotes exercise, gives people a sense of community, and enhances the overall design and function of the area.
Adding a Shared Streets Program in close proximity to our neighborhood has made it more walkable. I have seen more people walking/running and using scooters along that street than ever before. The city also organized an annual 10K run/walk and used the street as part of the course.
Hopefully, this Shared Streets Program will serve as a catalyst for other initiatives. I’ll continue promoting a walkable community because I’ve already seen the benefits.
Do you have a similar Shared Streets Program in your city?
With Intention,
Sean and Simone
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