Pedestrian Scale Environments
What’s all this talk lately about walkability? Is it a fad, or does it have legs for local economies?
What’s all this talk lately about walkability? Is it a fad, or does it have legs for local economies?
PlannersWeb Editor Wayne Senville continues his reflections on Portland, Oregon, with a look at transportation and land use, and how the city has become a leader in the “dead freeway” movement.
“The built environment is health policy and social policy in concrete,” says Dr. Richard Jackson, in documenting the connection the public health impacts of how we plan and build our communities.
We continue our walk, discussing Portland’s innovative design regulations; the boom in bicycle parking; and the condition of city sidewalks.
A look at how Portland has gone beyond “Walk Score” in using a detailed rating system to evaluate neighborhood “walkability” — and why one older neighborhood fares quite well.
The 3 D’s of Portland’s 20-minute neighborhoods concept: Distance: how far can you walk in 20 minutes? Destinations: is everything you need on a daily basis within that distance? Density: are there enough people in the area to support the businesses and facilities you need for daily needs?
Brunswick, Maine has a wonderful downtown. The sidewalks are perfect for strolling and window shopping. Downtown is just about ideal. Except for one thing: those human squirrels you see scurrying across Maine Street.
One of the key themes I heard during sessions at the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations conference was the importance of better connecting pedestrians to nearby shopping and to transit corridors. That means focusing on one of the most basic components of a community’s transportation network: sidewalks.
Hannah Twaddell reports on a recent article by Rich Kuzmyak and Jennifer Dill on what to take into account in appealing to bicyclists and walkers.
A growing number of communities are developing “complete streets” policies and programs. What’s behind this new approach to local transportation planning?
PCJ Editor Wayne Senville asks the authors of our Fall feature article some follow-up questions about their article.
One of the most remarkable sights in New York City these days is the transformation of Broadway in the Times Square district from a traffic-jammed artery to a car-free zone, where pedestrians reign. What’s behind this change?
At the Project for Public Spaces our first assignment: spend an hour carefully observing activities in Petrosino Square and noting what we saw.