What does the phrase city planning conjur up in your mind? If you're like most folks I come across, you have one of two reactions. Either your eyes glaze over and you visualize boring suits at ineffectual hearings making pointless decisions for the rest of us, or you think of traffic jams, road rage, no parking and chain stores.
Either way, if you think city planning doesn't affect you, think again. Every step you take outside your house is impacted by the folks who planned and created your built environment. There was a great example of this in a recent edition of the SF Chronicle. The
article in question discusses how the residents of the New Urbanist community in Hercules, CA aren't in walking distance of a local coffee shop. They have to get in their cars to run to the corner store. That's not just inefficient, it's bad for the environment.
I brought up the benefits of walkable neighborhoods long before I came across the
Walkable Neighborhoods blog. Although apparently somewhat commercial in nature (the group works to link realtors with homeowners who value a walkable community), it offers really great insights into the benefits and possibilities of neighborhoods that encourage residents to interact with their environment and, ultimately, each other.
Labels: Community, Transportation
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