We’ve been writing a good bit lately about urbanism and people living closer to urban nodes. I came across an interesting book online that I haven’t had a chance to head down to the Tattered Cover to pick up yet. Professor Christopher Leinberger’s main premise is that there is a pent up demand for walkable communities and housing that the market must respond to and planners must allow.
Here’s a blurb from www.OptionofUrbanism.com:
"The effects of drivable suburbanism have begun to take their toll on our health and environment, with driving and long commutes being linked
to an increased rate of obesity and higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
While federal policies and the desire for
the suburban American Dream encouraged financiers and real estate
developers to invest in sparse, drivable suburban development, the
movement towards concentrated, mixed-use neighborhoods has started
sweeping across the United States.The Option of Urbanism
demystifies walkable urbanism, and points to examples of how unused
strip malls and brownfield sites have been transformed into walkable
communities. As described in the book, Birmingham, a suburb of “Motor
City” Detroit, is a remarkably unexpected case study of walkable
urbanism. The author also points to vibrant walkable cities like
Washington, D.C., New York, Philadelphia and many more."
Here’s a link to an MP3 presentation given by the author that’s a good intro.
My parents in Charlotte, NC recently moved from the burbs to the Trademark Tower and have loved the experience. They enjoyed the space and having a larger house, but as empty-nesters, downsizing and moving downtown was a fresh and new start. After 6 months, with a couple of hiccups along the way with a flood and some new construction snafus, they’ve loved being able to walk to the office, not to mention walking to restaurants and surrounding entertainment. They’re with a heterogeneous mix of people, young and old, and I’ve loved hearing about all their experiences.
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Love your comments. We certainly are finding that living in the city has been a positive experience. Grocery store, laundry, YMCA, shopping, restaurants and entertainment all within walking distance. We love the bike races, corner jaz player and the energy in the city. Checked out our walkability index from your website and we live in Walker’s Paradise!
The concept of urbanism and the Walk Score are neat tools and speak to how our community demographics are evolving. I was in a mastermind session the other week and we were talking about generational trends. Gen X and Y’ers are more focused than Baby Boomers on relationships, causing a greater focus on knowing your neighbors and being part of a local community, something that makes urbanism attractive.