walkability

Adapt Your Home to Your Future Needs … Now!

Posted on 06/6/2013 by | AARP's Livable Communities | Comments

Great Places | Home & FamilyMany homebuilders build houses for the young, with little thought to how our needs change when the kids grow up and move out to start their own families. When that time comes, you might find yourself thinking, now what? Your house, after all, is so much more than a place to sleep; it’s rooted in a community. So, before you consider leaving the place you’ve called home for years and your friends, neighbors, and fellow church members, think about how …

How You Can Make Your Town Safe and Walkable for All

Posted on 06/5/2013 by | AARP's Livable Communities | Comments

Great Places | Home & Family | TravelAll Sarah Clark Stuart wanted was for her family to be able to safely access the Schuylkill River Trail, just across the tracks from the Philadelphia neighborhood where she lived. But the passing of freight trains made the crossing unsafe, especially for her then-young children, and also for the many older adults who lived nearby. For them, the trail was an invaluable place to exercise or safely travel by foot or bicycle. It also built a sense of community. But …

When It Comes to Our Communities: Are We Fair-Minded or Afraid?

Posted on 05/2/2012 by | The Roads Scholar | Comments

Home & FamilyPart of my work to make communities nationwide more walkable and livable is to help untangle conflicting values. We love and value families, children, safety, beauty, the outdoors, open space and nature. We want solid home prices, strong schools and neighbors who watch out for us. But then, for some reason, we resist the things that support these values. And we oppose efforts to make our neighborhoods more inviting, more comfortable, more livable. Let me be honest: I personally dislike …

5 Things That Make Your Town Walkable

Posted on 04/13/2012 by | The Roads Scholar | Comments

Home & FamilyPeople worldwide want to live in a town/city that is walkable. Places that seek to become more walkable and livable – everyplace from Maui to Abu Dhabi, where the prince has declared that he wants his city to become one of the five most livable in the world—must invest in the features that make it happen. But what are these features? I’ve picked five that some cities are bringing back.

Living In Place

Posted on 03/21/2012 by | The Roads Scholar | Comments

Home & FamilyMy mother lived to be 93, and was able to live in place. I feel that she lived an extra five to eight high-quality years because we never had to take her from her neighborhood and friendship circle. This was a precious gift to our entire family. My wife Lys and I were able to import her parents to our neighborhood in Florida, and we watched over them for a full decade — the quality end-game of their lives. One …

Walking Audits: Born Out of Necessity

Posted on 02/8/2012 by | The Roads Scholar | Comments

Home & FamilyNecessity truly is the mother of invention. About 20 years ago, I found myself at a disadvantage with my engineering counterparts in the Florida Department of Transportation. I was reviewing plans for an intersection and I realized many of the elements that support people, not just cars, were being left out. As I spoke, the engineers’ eyes glazed over. I said, “My ideas aren’t coming across, so let’s take a walk!”

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