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The Crisis in American Walking

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Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#11

Post by simonsarris »

This is actually one of the biggest reasons why I do not want to move. I love Nashua, New Hampshire because of how lovely it is to walk from the north end of town.

I walk to work every day in seven minutes[1]. The city maintains a large forested park that is a 5 minute walk from main street.

Every single weekend I walk to one of the fine cafes that exist on or around main street for breakfast. On workdays at lunch I have a wide array of restaurants, all within very reasonable walking distance. I purchase the fine beers I drink from the same building I work in[2].

Simply taking walks I can peruse downtown, or head north to the historic district and walk among the Victorian-era houses (I am living in one, built 1840, renting out the extra rooms to friends to make a kind of communal house), or I can go to the northern park and follow rail tracks through the woods, maybe swim in the Merrimack river (dangerous to amateurs but very fun), or go to Mine Falls by main street and stroll through the surprisingly deep woods in the heart of the little city.

I can go days without needing to use my car. I see walking as the norm in my life. My friends treat it as an eccentric novelty. I fear the day that I won't be able to walk to work anymore, and the simple walkable pleasures of my town are a big factor in not taking a job in SV.

Suburbs don't have to be horrible places, but as designed they seem very lacking.

[1] http://g.co/maps/8kvxg

[2] Warning, a lot of NH businesses have websites stuck in 1995! http://www.boomchugalug.com/

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#12

Post by thejteam »

ojbyrne wrote: post #2

Trying not to start a controversy or hijack this to an unrelated news story - but my first thought when the whole Trayvon Martin thing happened - the thing that alerts Neighborhood Watch types in bedroom communities isn't "walking while black," but just plain old "walking." It's suspicious.

I've thought the same thing. I've never been stopped by anybody, but I've had local sheriff's deputies drive past me really slow and look really closely at me while I'm taking a walk through a nearby community during my lunch break. And I'm a pretty non-imposing white guy dressed in business attire. This wasn't even a gated community. Walking just isn't considered a "normal" activity in some areas, at least by people who aren't up to something.

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#13

Post by jdminhbg »

MatthewPhillips wrote: post #9
RyanMcGreal wrote: post #4

I live close to the downtown core of my city and my daily commute is a 6 km (3.7 mile) round trip by foot. People seem to think this is exotic if not downright subversive, whereas they think nothing about sitting in a car for an hour a day and stopping off at the gym for a workout. Note that I'm not in particularly good shape and a walk of this magnitude is not at all difficult. I arrive at work every day refreshed,…

Keep in mind that the number of U.S. cities where you would want to live within a couple of miles of downtown can be counted on with 1 hand.

That's a value judgment that millions and millions of people apparently disagree with.

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#14

Post by RyanMcGreal »

Duff wrote: post #8
RyanMcGreal wrote: post #4

I live close to the downtown core of my city and my daily commute is a 6 km (3.7 mile) round trip by foot. People seem to think this is exotic if not downright subversive, whereas they think nothing about sitting in a car for an hour a day and stopping off at the gym for a workout. Note that I'm not in particularly good shape and a walk of this magnitude is not at all difficult. I arrive at work every day refreshed,…

I started doing the same thing last year, at least when the weather is pleasant. It's an amazingly liberating experience. It makes you look forward to spring. I live in a place that typically has bad winters, so the prospect of breaking my neck on ice is not very appealing!

I live in southern Ontario and commute on foot year-round. There's no weather that appropriate outerwear can't handle.

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#15

Post by _delirium »

MatthewPhillips wrote: post #9
RyanMcGreal wrote: post #4

I live close to the downtown core of my city and my daily commute is a 6 km (3.7 mile) round trip by foot. People seem to think this is exotic if not downright subversive, whereas they think nothing about sitting in a car for an hour a day and stopping off at the gym for a workout. Note that I'm not in particularly good shape and a walk of this magnitude is not at all difficult. I arrive at work every day refreshed,…

Keep in mind that the number of U.S. cities where you would want to live within a couple of miles of downtown can be counted on with 1 hand.

I can think of quite a few... San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, New York, Boston, Dallas, Austin, Houston. Even Los Angeles and Atlanta have nice "new downtown" areas, though the traditional downtowns are sketchy (Wilshire and Midtown, respectively).

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#16

Post by jerednel »

marknutter wrote: post #3

This is part of the reason my wife and I are moving closer to the city. I've been stuck in the suburbs my whole life and you have to drive literally everywhere. The thought of being able to stroll over to the local market is very appealing to me.

Funny. I'm at the point where I'd trade that convenience to have a proper yard. Or to not be startled by giant rats when I walk down an alley. Or not to have to wait for 4 trains to pass you by because they're too full in the winter. Or to not have to park 3 blocks away from my apartment and worry about whether or not it is a street cleaning day or somebody got a permit to block off the area I was parked at because I haven't driven in a day and a sign may have been posted that lets the city tow any car in their path.

The point is, there are advantages to living in an area that may not be as walkable...

But yes, the proximity is nice :)

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#17

Post by MatthewPhillips »

_delirium wrote: post #15
MatthewPhillips wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Keep in mind that the number of U.S. cities where you would want to live within a couple of miles of downtown can be counted on with 1 hand.

I can think of quite a few... San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, New York, Boston, Dallas, Austin, Houston. Even Los Angeles and Atlanta have nice "new downtown" areas, though the traditional downtowns are sketchy (Wilshire and Midtown, respectively).

Lots of cities have nice areas around downtown, but few have nice areas around downtown where you can do everything you need (walk to work, walk to the grocery, etc). They do exist, obviously, and some people are more tolerant about walking through a few bad blocks on the way to work than others, but it is my observation that most U.S. cities don't do a good job of making downtown a desirable place to live. Many U.S. downtowns essentially shutdown after 5pm as all of the restaurants close for the day and everyone commutes back to the 'burbs.

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#18

Post by hammock »

Duff wrote: post #6
ojbyrne wrote: post #2

Trying not to start a controversy or hijack this to an unrelated news story - but my first thought when the whole Trayvon Martin thing happened - the thing that alerts Neighborhood Watch types in bedroom communities isn't "walking while black," but just plain old "walking." It's suspicious.

Great point. The whole notion of the "gated community" is patently offensive and only possible by virtue of the automobile. Walk through an old city. Even in the victorian era, where families were packed in single rooms with no running water, they were just a 5-10 minute walk from stately townhouses of the well-to-do. Now, we feel the need to separate ourselves with berms and fences.

The upper classes separating themselves from everyone else isn't a modern invention...what do you think castles are?

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#19

Post by phoobahr »

RyanMcGreal wrote: post #14
Duff wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I started doing the same thing last year, at least when the weather is pleasant. It's an amazingly liberating experience. It makes you look forward to spring. I live in a place that typically has bad winters, so the prospect of breaking my neck on ice is not very appealing!

I live in southern Ontario and commute on foot year-round. There's no weather that appropriate outerwear can't handle.

I grew up in Alberta and fresh dry wind blown snow is hard to walk on, like dry sand. Slow going.

I now live in Vancouver and despite temperature it gets damp enough that movement without sweating is well nigh impossible. Good thing I work at a pool and don't give a damn.

Either way cycling is still better.

Re: The Crisis in American Walking

#20

Post by davepeck »

A great start to what looks to be a promising series of articles.

My Walk Score means a lot to me [1]; if you're looking for a new place to live, Walk Score's apartment-finding service is the best tool I know [2]. The commute times feature is a particularly interesting bit of tech.

[1] Warning: I am irretrievably biased (see my profile.)

[2] http://www.walkscore.com/apartments

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