Walkable Neighborhoods

Click to view the larger bracket size

Voting is now open for the Sweet Sixteen of our Walkable Cities Madness Bracket. Yes, I know we are a bit behind the men’s tournament, but I had to squeeze in a vacation to Phoenix and Tucson.

If you’re curious what this is all about, read the first post.

Speaking of Tucson, having just visited, I’m a bit surprised it beat Spokane on the tiebreak in the last round–even though I’ve never been to Spokane. Tucson is a leader in complete streets and transit innovations…but now I realize why. Unfortunately, it’s out of necessity to combat streets and land uses designed for driving.

Also, really cool that the Battle for Nebraska ended in a tie! Omaha moves past Lincoln on the lower seed number tiebreak. It also means that the West is the only region to hold chalk. At least for now.

There are some fantastic head to heads this round: Cambridge versus Washington DC, Columbus versus Lawrence, Providence versus Philly… so make sure to vote below. It only takes 9 clicks this round!

Thanks to everyone that has voted thus far. Keep the votes comin’!!

If you have an interest in taking or teaching walkable neighborhoods related training courses, sign up for our interest list by clicking here.

Click for a larger view of the bracket

Now we’re on to the Round of 32, but not before some close matchups in the First Round.

LA barely squeaks past Tulsa…though I’m guessing that’s because most people voting haven’t been to LA recently and only hear it’s the land of the car. However, it has a pretty great transit system by American standards and some really cool walkable hoods.

Madison and Washington DC went toe to toe and DC comes out ahead. But since DC can’t win twice, Madison beats Memphis on the “most votes” tiebreaker.

The Round of 32 has some intriguing matchups, including the Battle for Nebraska: Lincoln versus Omaha! I also like Palo Alto versus Lawrence, and Eugene versus Madison.

If you’re curious what this is all about, read the first post.

Thanks to all that voted in the last round. I think you all did a great job…mostly because your picks were very similar to mine

Now, please vote below and share with your friends!

If you have an interest in taking or teaching walkable neighborhoods related training courses, sign up for our interest list by clicking here.

Will Austin, TX be a favorite to win the Walkable Cities Tourney?

I am a HUGE college basketball fan…and obviously a HUGE walkability fan too.

So it was only a matter of time before I found a way to mashup two of my loves. Enter the NCAA Tourney Bracket.

The concept is simple: take the 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Bracket and instead of selecting which team would win on the basketball court, select the school that’s located in the more walkable city or town.

I do realize this is really difficult to do, but now that I’ve done it, it was a great learning process and fun to fill out my bracket. And you can too. Just fill out the bracket below and click submit. The winners of this round will move on to the Round of 32.

Now I’m sure you’re thinking, how do you rate which town is more walkable? Well, that’s up to you. I used Google Maps for the places I wasn’t familiar with. Some will probably use Walk Score. Others will just know. That’s what makes it fun.

One not so fun thing is that one VERY IMPORTANT team was missing this year. My Illinois Fighting Illini We just missed the cut. It’s probably because they knew what a dilemma it would be for my walkable cities tourney because the campus is split by two cities: Urbana and Champaign. So do I list Urbana where most of the academic buildings are? Or Champaign where the basketball games are played? Or both? Or will the world end first? Well, I hope I have that problem next year. This year it’s NIT obsession time!!

Enough rambling, on with the brackets. The First Round Bracket voting will close after the games on Friday night.

Oh, and after you submit your votes below, please share this with all of your friends. Then come back in a few days, see who won, and vote in the next few rounds.

Man, there are some really tough matchups in this bracket! If I had to guess at which cities emerge to the Final Four, I will guess Columbus out of the South (we have A LOT of Facebook Fans in Columbus), Washington DC out of the East, a shocker…Eugene, OR out of the West, and New York out of the Midwest. The East looks like the toughest bracket!!

P.S. – If you have an interest in taking or teaching walkable neighborhoods related training courses, sign up for our interest list by clicking here.

Photo By: Tony Fischer

With technology booming by the second, it’s impossible to attend every e-conference or participate in every webinar that sounds interesting.  Fortunately for us, the American Public Health Association archives their webinars and we can view them when it’s convenient.

This one is worth a look–especially for anyone bridging the gap between planning and health.

Healthy Communities: Neighborhood Planning through a Health Equity Lens
The Community Transformation Grant program creates healthier communities by making healthy living easier and more affordable where people work, live, learn, and play. Communities are encouraged to make structural changes to the built environment and establish policies that facilitate healthier living through the development and implementation of initiatives that prevent chronic diseases. This approach is particularly critical in communities with the greatest health and economic disparities. This webinar featured stories of successful collaboration between public health and planning in Seattle and Fort Worth, Texas, and demonstrated the positive impact attention to health equity has in neighborhood planning. 

Presentation 1 (I particularly like the photos at the end with the “This is public health” stickers throughout a community)

Presentation 2

Presentation 3

Presentation 4

No Sprawl Sign on Farm Outside Yellow Springs, OH

If you are in a fiesty mood and want a little more fuel for the fire, check out this article by GOOD about how urban sprawl is unhealthy and the way we measure success.

I agree with the article that using the traditional level of service to measure success is a mistake.  We should be designing for the pedestrian as the most vulnerable user of our roadways.

How do we do it?  Some think that when the baby boomer generation fully retires, there will be a shift in philosophy and thinking.  I’m not sure that is going to make a difference.  There are too many young planners and designers that are getting sucked in and being molded to the traditional way of thinking.  These youngsters are going to be the old grey hairs someday and may not know any different.

I think the best way is to continue to have your voice heard.  Speak out at public meetings, write your local elected officials, participate in MPO committees, actually send in public comment when it’s requested, work with the designers instead of taking an ‘us’ vs ‘them’ approach.

Sounds easy, doesn’t it?  It’s not.  It takes patience, endurance, good timing and a little bit of luck.

Photo By: MoBikeFed

First Lady, Michele Obama, is again signing the praises of walking and biking to school.  She sees it as an opportunity for teaches, students and parents to get a little physical activity and a way to reduce the obesity epidemic that is sweeping the US.  The goal is to get people active for 60 minutes per day.  There is a lot of information at WalkingSchoolbus.org

The key to the walking school bus success lies in convincing the parents that little Johnny and Susie will be safe.  Personally, I think the school bus is one of the toughest places for kids.  The amount of bullying and teasing that takes place and that often goes undetected has been the subject of many studies.  I’d rather take my chances walking. I think if more parents got out and really experienced what it felt like to walk to school, they would begin to push their elected officials for better infrastructure and connectivity.  We need to start designing and re-designing our roadways and communities from the pedestrian perspective, not the automobile.

Speaking of design, New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg announced two pieces of legislation (still awaiting City Council approval) that focus on promoting the use of stairs in public buildings and allowing stairways to remain open so that people could easily take the shorter trips by foot instead of elevator.  I think this speaks volumes to the severity of the obesity epidemic.  Arguably one of the most walkable cities in the world, where people are on the streets and sidewalks 24 hours a day is still affected by physical inactivity.

Photo By: US Department of Labor

On July 2nd, Anthony Foxx was sworn in as the new Secretary of Transportation under President Obama.  Prior to taking the reins at USDOT, Foxx was the Mayor of Charlotte, NC.  He led some significant projects in Charlotte including expanding the airport and getting another loop road built.  For the cyclist or pedestrian, the most notable was the extension of the light rail line.

Let’s see how’s he’s done in his first 15 days.  A mini report card if you will.

Foxx has said many times that he will focus on safety and efficiency.

If this were like school, the chances of having a big test in the first 15 days would be slim.  Foxx had to get his feet wet with the plane crash in San Francisco.  Not only did it affect transportation, there was the inappropriateness of the intern and the names of the airline crew members.  An unfortunate event but the crash provides some credibility on the need to focus on safety.

Safety:  Check

He has received continued support from the American Trucking Associations.  Hey, get support early and often.

Highways/large trucks:  Check

He has announced a $421 Million loan to expand SR 91 in California under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act (TIFIA).  The claim is that the expansion will reduce congestion and improve the local economy.   The people of southern California get tolls for the next 50 years.  Indirectly, if more cars can travel on a freeway, there may be less vehicles on the local roads.  This could reduce bicycle and pedestrian conflicts and improve the quality of life.  It’s a stretch so we’ll give partial credit.

Highways:  Check

Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety:  Quarter of a check

Quality of life for surrounding neighborhoods:  Quarter of a check

He announced $1M in grants for US veterans and military families to receive training for transportation related jobs.  These grants went to 6 colleges throughout the nation.  It seems that most of the training is for motor carrier type positions.  Human scale, walkable neighborhood type projects will not likely see any benefits.

Highways/large trucks:  Check

Supporting our veterans:  Check

You have to click here for bicycle and pedestrian specific projects.  You know, those projects that aren’t always flashy, often aren’t the subject matter of great press releases but undoubtedly improve our communities?  Zilch.

Bicycle/Pedestrian:  N/A

If I had to assign a letter grade to all of this, it would be a ” B”.  Foxx is doing well but highways are only one piece of the transportation puzzle (albeit a large piece).  I am little concerned that walking and biking can easily get lost in the ‘infrastructure efficiency’ discussions.  My experience with many transportation engineers is that efficiency equals pushing more cars through at a faster speed.  Level of Service often rules the roost when it comes to efficiency.

Let’s be fair.  It’s only been 15 days and the number of issues that Secretary Foxx must face is impossible to quantify.  Maybe we revisit the report card in say 60 days and hopefully there is news on other travel modes that focus on making our communities safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

South Beach Miami Condos

A planned high-rise condo building in Miami will have a valet,  five bays for carshare vehicles, covered bike parking, and may serve as a hub for an upcoming bike share system but will not have a parking garage.  Residents will have to use a nearby City lot.

Would you pay $220,000-$400,000 for a place without a parking place?

Photo By: buba69

When you go to New York City, Chicago,  Boston, Washington D.C. or even Minneapolis you almost expect to see a vast array of transportation choices.  These big cities have the density to support programs like bike share.  They also usually have the staff to dedicate to the program’s success.

Smaller cities often do not have the resources to implement these ‘extra’ programs.  Many are auto-centric and are just trying to survive.  The thought of global competitiveness is often lost to the worry over pension benefits, crumbling infrastructure, and increasing the tax base.

Some small to medium sized cities are realizing that there are huge benefits to providing transportation alternatives.  With bike share programs, residents and visitors now have a low(er)-cost option to driving.  It’s good for the environment, people are getting a little exercise and there are proven economic benefits.

Cities like Madison, WI, Boulder, CO, and Chattanooga, TN have already started their programs.  Places like Columbus, Ohio are expected to roll out their program at the end of July.  Albany, NY, Providence, RI, and the Sacramento Region have studied the feasibility of bike share and just need that extra financial or political push to get started.

It may take some time but bike share programs are catching on and we should expect to see more of them in the future.  They don’t replace the automobile; they simply provide an alternative and reduce the physical stress on our roadways.  Oh, and they are fun and convenient!