Walkability: Key to Sustainable Suburbs

When it comes to advancing communities, walkability is a hot, hot topic right now. The Infrastructurist, a blog focused on America's infrastructure, recently featured a post that caused big electronic buzz, How Cul-de-Sacs are Killing Your Community. The post highlights a research study performed at the University of British Columbia of the effects of cul-de-sacs in neighborhoods in King County, Washington. The study found that neighborhoods with cul-de-sacs, rather than interconnected streets, promote more automobile use.

The Infrastructurist post [May 7] reports that the UBC research and others show that the higher a neighborhood's walkability, the greater the walking and biking. More walking and biking results in less air pollution, less fuel use and thinner residents.

The Michigan Municipal League's magazine, The Review just published an issue focused on walkable communities. In it, Dan Burden of www.walkablecommunties.org share his 12 Characteristics of a Walkable Community.

1. Intact Downtowns
2. Residential Densities, Mixed-Income, Mixed Use
3. Public Space
4. Universal Design
5. Key Streets are Speed Controlled
6. Well-Linked Streets and Trails
7. Properly Scaled Design
8. City/Village is Designed for People
9. Community is Thinking Small
10. There are Many People Walking
11. The Community and Neighborhoods Have a Vision
12. Decision Makers are Forward Thinking

Besides being focused on "place making" as an essential part of advancing communities, we're working with one of our long-time client communities to create a more walkable village. In future posts, I'll share some of the steps the village is taking to increase pedestrian access, safety and a ssense of "place."