Around the Block

 

Neighborhood Improvement – Items of Interest

 

 

 

Density is Great, But Walkability Needs More

Despite Manhattan Beach, California’s small blocks, dense residential layout and restrictions of vehicular traffic, this community stands as another example of how a truly walkable locale rests on more than one attribute. In the same way that a community of transit-oriented-development needs more than location beside transit, density and pedestrian space alone do not a walkable neighborhood make.

 

 

 

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What's Your Complete Neighborhood?

One person’s efforts to list the things that make his neighborhood complete, and the things that would make it even more complete.

 

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What Density-Phobia Gets Wrong

 High density does not require high rises. A healthy diversity of land uses may accompany higher densities. And the infrastructure challenges that increased density creates may be less consequential and expensive than the challenges created by resistance to density.

 

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Does Knowing Your Neighbours Make You Happier?

 

It’s a continuum. But greater degrees of familiarity with your neighbors seem to promote feelings of well being. Nevertheless, disengagement from neighbors remains common.

 

 

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How to Lead a Walking Tour

 

Today, I led my first “Jane's Walk”. Jane's Walk (named after Jane Jacobs) is an international movement of walking tours, usually held in the first week of May. In case some of you are thinking of getting involved next year, I am writing to show how you can lead a walk without an enormous amount of research.

 

 

 

 

 

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