"In the end, urban planners and residents say, when we choose a place to spend our time, to live our lives, it always comes down to location, location, location.
"In other words, the neighborhood," writes Martin Merzer in today's Miami Herald.
What do people want in a neighborhood? It's an interesting question. Sometimes, I feel that in Framingham, the only time that "neighborhood" enters the political conversation is when people want to "save" their neighborhood by keeping out inappropriate development. But what should our neighborhoods be? What do we want to CREATE in our neighborhoods, not just keep out? Anything more than a subdivision with homes? What about neighborhood businesses, little parks, public meeting places, some kind of civic heart & soul?
Urban planner James Murley lives in an area called Shenandoah, Merzer writes, "which turned largely Hispanic several decades ago and remains so but is proving attractive again to non-Hispanics who crave a walkable neighborhood close to downtown Miami. 'Neighborhoods change all the time,'' he said. 'That's the beauty of them. They change because they are made of the people who live in them.'' "
February 27, 2005
February 21, 2005
What Happens When You’re Too Old To Drive?
It's not something we like to think about here in America, land of age-denial and worship of perpetual youth. But in fact, people who live to old age often live to be too old to drive safely.
If they live in the suburbs, what then? They may be otherwise healthy, and perfectly able to still live alone in their homes. Should they be forced to move anyway? And if so, where to? Or do we expect their younger relatives can provide chauffer service every time they need to go shopping or visit a doctor?
This is an important issue that people simply don't think about when they design car-centric suburbs where it's impossible to get anywhere by any means except the private automobile.
It also becomes a public safety issue, when the elderly refuse to voluntarily give up driving, even if they know their skills have deteriorated.
"The problem is that there are no good alternatives," Natalie Lipman, 85, told the Boston Globe. ''If you want to go somewhere at night, or on the weekend, forget about it."
"As a society, we plan for everything, our retirement, vacations, but none of us plan for the day when we won't be driving, and we need to plan for that day. We need to be prepared," advises Michele Ellicks, the state Registry of Motor Vehicles' elderly outreach coordinator.
Great advice, but how are you supposed to "plan" to give up your car if you live in a town where you can't walk anywhere, there's no decent public transportation, and taxi service is either unreliable or requires significant advanced booking?
If they live in the suburbs, what then? They may be otherwise healthy, and perfectly able to still live alone in their homes. Should they be forced to move anyway? And if so, where to? Or do we expect their younger relatives can provide chauffer service every time they need to go shopping or visit a doctor?
This is an important issue that people simply don't think about when they design car-centric suburbs where it's impossible to get anywhere by any means except the private automobile.
It also becomes a public safety issue, when the elderly refuse to voluntarily give up driving, even if they know their skills have deteriorated.
"The problem is that there are no good alternatives," Natalie Lipman, 85, told the Boston Globe. ''If you want to go somewhere at night, or on the weekend, forget about it."
"As a society, we plan for everything, our retirement, vacations, but none of us plan for the day when we won't be driving, and we need to plan for that day. We need to be prepared," advises Michele Ellicks, the state Registry of Motor Vehicles' elderly outreach coordinator.
Great advice, but how are you supposed to "plan" to give up your car if you live in a town where you can't walk anywhere, there's no decent public transportation, and taxi service is either unreliable or requires significant advanced booking?
February 18, 2005
Walkable, Livable Suburbs: Will We Fail To Act?
The town of Ashland is working with Boston consultants Von Grossman & Co. to create a master plan for "downtown, the commuter rail stop and the Rte. 126 corridor" to attract more people to the areas with things like a mixture of shops, cafes, residences, office space and day care, the MetroWest Daily News reports.
The project will "recreate or strengthen the heart of Ashland by recreating the density of activity and development that supports a walkable, vibrant place through transit-oriented development," Von Grossman's initial proposal promises, according to the article.
Yes, suburban officials are finally acknowledging that a pedestrian-friendly streetscape is critical for revitalizing existing downtowns and making communities appealing places to live and work in the 21st century. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much attention being paid to this in Framingham right now -- an oversight that is likely to have a major, negative impact on the community if it starts falling behind its neighbors.
"The great challenge of the 21st century, not to mention the main economic opportunity, lies in transforming suburban sprawl into something more efficient, interesting and humane," notes an interesting piece by Joel Kotkin in the Washington Post. "City living won't die; instead, it likely will become, as urban analyst Bill Fulton has put it, primarily a “niche lifestyle” preferred mostly by the young, the childless and the rich.
"But just as cities won't prosper if they don't cater to the niche resident, the suburbs must evolve from a pale extension of the city into something more like a self-sustaining archipelago of villages."
Many downtowns across America are trying to appeal to young professionals with condos or lofts, restaurants and nightlife, Valecia Crisafulli, a revitalization consultant for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, recently told a packed meeting of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership.
"But Crisafulli said that baby boomers are pursuing the same amenities and in many instances have more disposable income. They also have a greater interest in being closer to their children or grandchildren than previous generations," according to the Winston-Salem Journal. " 'They want walkable downtowns, eclectic food and entertainment choices, same as the creative class,'" she said.
Trend alert! These are important and seismic market shifts going on! We need to pay attention!
Notes Kotkin: "The urbanization of suburbia — the creation of a more sophisticated, self-sufficient community — is already beginning. Cities are restoring the commercial cores of what had once been autonomous small towns. Often devastated by malls and bigbox shopping centers, these downtowns once gave suburban towns a sense of distinctiveness — something many now wish to recover. Other places are attempting to create whole new communities, with their own defined town centers complete with fine restaurants and smart shops. ...
"This new principle can be seen in some newer developments, such as Valencia in Southern California. With a well-defined town center, paths for pedestrians and cyclists, a lake and a range of housing types, Valencia is closer to a traditional village environment than the prototypical sprawl suburb. This model is being repeated in numerous other places. ...
"The opportunities to develop suburban identity will grow as baby boomers look to trade in their tract houses for something more walkable and compact. ... Many developers see suburban villages as ideal for the swelling ranks of empty nesters."
Are we ready to take advantage of these new generational trends? Or will our community be as left behind as traditional downtowns were half a century ago when they failed to adapt to the important trends of those times?
The project will "recreate or strengthen the heart of Ashland by recreating the density of activity and development that supports a walkable, vibrant place through transit-oriented development," Von Grossman's initial proposal promises, according to the article.
Yes, suburban officials are finally acknowledging that a pedestrian-friendly streetscape is critical for revitalizing existing downtowns and making communities appealing places to live and work in the 21st century. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much attention being paid to this in Framingham right now -- an oversight that is likely to have a major, negative impact on the community if it starts falling behind its neighbors.
"The great challenge of the 21st century, not to mention the main economic opportunity, lies in transforming suburban sprawl into something more efficient, interesting and humane," notes an interesting piece by Joel Kotkin in the Washington Post. "City living won't die; instead, it likely will become, as urban analyst Bill Fulton has put it, primarily a “niche lifestyle” preferred mostly by the young, the childless and the rich.
"But just as cities won't prosper if they don't cater to the niche resident, the suburbs must evolve from a pale extension of the city into something more like a self-sustaining archipelago of villages."
Many downtowns across America are trying to appeal to young professionals with condos or lofts, restaurants and nightlife, Valecia Crisafulli, a revitalization consultant for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, recently told a packed meeting of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership.
"But Crisafulli said that baby boomers are pursuing the same amenities and in many instances have more disposable income. They also have a greater interest in being closer to their children or grandchildren than previous generations," according to the Winston-Salem Journal. " 'They want walkable downtowns, eclectic food and entertainment choices, same as the creative class,'" she said.
Trend alert! These are important and seismic market shifts going on! We need to pay attention!
Notes Kotkin: "The urbanization of suburbia — the creation of a more sophisticated, self-sufficient community — is already beginning. Cities are restoring the commercial cores of what had once been autonomous small towns. Often devastated by malls and bigbox shopping centers, these downtowns once gave suburban towns a sense of distinctiveness — something many now wish to recover. Other places are attempting to create whole new communities, with their own defined town centers complete with fine restaurants and smart shops. ...
"This new principle can be seen in some newer developments, such as Valencia in Southern California. With a well-defined town center, paths for pedestrians and cyclists, a lake and a range of housing types, Valencia is closer to a traditional village environment than the prototypical sprawl suburb. This model is being repeated in numerous other places. ...
"The opportunities to develop suburban identity will grow as baby boomers look to trade in their tract houses for something more walkable and compact. ... Many developers see suburban villages as ideal for the swelling ranks of empty nesters."
Are we ready to take advantage of these new generational trends? Or will our community be as left behind as traditional downtowns were half a century ago when they failed to adapt to the important trends of those times?
February 17, 2005
San Francisco Mulls London-Like Downtown Driving Toll
"Supervisor Jake McGoldrick, chair of the San Francisco Transportation Authority, will ask the agency to study a downtown toll zone -- whereby drivers would need to purchase a daily pass to drive in The City's most congested streets -- as a potential solution to the Municipal Transportation Agency's woeful budget problems," the San Francisco Examiner reports.
"Modeled on similar 'congestion charging' zones in London, cameras would record license plates and tickets would be issued for motorists who failed to purchase a pass. The intent is for drivers to pick other routes, avoid coming downtown or switch to Muni, which would travel more efficiently in the faster flowing streets."
Interesting idea. In a fair number of U.S. cities, there are simply too many vehicles wanting to drive in an area that just can't support them. And there's only so much more pavement you can add to a congested downtown -- already, too many cities have highways in/through them, that have a dreadful impact on the urban streetscape and neighborhood.
Governments currently subsidize private vehicles, through road building (can someone say multi-billion-dollar Big Dig?), road repair and road plowing. Why not finally use the "market" approach so beloved by conservatives? The key here, though, is ensuring that there's truly available, convenient and affordable public transit for those who can't afford the fees.
"Modeled on similar 'congestion charging' zones in London, cameras would record license plates and tickets would be issued for motorists who failed to purchase a pass. The intent is for drivers to pick other routes, avoid coming downtown or switch to Muni, which would travel more efficiently in the faster flowing streets."
Interesting idea. In a fair number of U.S. cities, there are simply too many vehicles wanting to drive in an area that just can't support them. And there's only so much more pavement you can add to a congested downtown -- already, too many cities have highways in/through them, that have a dreadful impact on the urban streetscape and neighborhood.
Governments currently subsidize private vehicles, through road building (can someone say multi-billion-dollar Big Dig?), road repair and road plowing. Why not finally use the "market" approach so beloved by conservatives? The key here, though, is ensuring that there's truly available, convenient and affordable public transit for those who can't afford the fees.
February 16, 2005
Walkability Amidst Calif. Suburban Sprawl
"Amid a suburban county's gated communities, three-car garages and megamalls, Santa Ana is a fledgling hub of 'new urbanism,' an increasingly popular antidote to sprawl that promotes dense, walkable neighborhoods where people live, work and play," USA Today reports.
"But it's new urbanism with a twist: Latino new urbanism.
"Advocates of this budding movement suggest that places where Hispanics are fast becoming the majority could help rein in sprawl by capitalizing on Latino cultural preferences for compact neighborhoods, large public places and a sense of community."
Actually, many Europeans also experience what Mario Chavez-Marquez said of his hometown in Mexico: "We had a traditional urban square and plaza where everything is happening." The same can be said not only of Spain, but of Italy, France, and many places in central Europe that are "cafe societies."
An increasing number of Americans, too, want the option of walking places. We want public spaces where the aesthetic as well as safety needs of walkers are on an equal footing with automobiles.
We are tired of ugly "traffic sewers" like Rte. 9 where no one can walk even a quarter mile from one hideous looking, asphalt-moat-surrounded strip mall to another. LET'S START DESIGNING FOR PEDESTRIAN APPEAL.
"But it's new urbanism with a twist: Latino new urbanism.
"Advocates of this budding movement suggest that places where Hispanics are fast becoming the majority could help rein in sprawl by capitalizing on Latino cultural preferences for compact neighborhoods, large public places and a sense of community."
Actually, many Europeans also experience what Mario Chavez-Marquez said of his hometown in Mexico: "We had a traditional urban square and plaza where everything is happening." The same can be said not only of Spain, but of Italy, France, and many places in central Europe that are "cafe societies."
An increasing number of Americans, too, want the option of walking places. We want public spaces where the aesthetic as well as safety needs of walkers are on an equal footing with automobiles.
We are tired of ugly "traffic sewers" like Rte. 9 where no one can walk even a quarter mile from one hideous looking, asphalt-moat-surrounded strip mall to another. LET'S START DESIGNING FOR PEDESTRIAN APPEAL.
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