LaHood Does Good For Neighborhoods

Here at DotLoop, we talk a lot about designing walkable, people-focused communities that offer amenities and connectedness with neighbors and businesses alike.

We think it's important that people feel connected to their communities and that, as home-owners, they have a sense of home that reaches beyond the end of their lawn.

That's why I'm so excited for today's announcement from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood of $293 million for new transit solutions for dozens of communities nationwide.

The investments include six new streetcar and rapid bus transit projects along with 47 additional projects to upgrade current bus services. This will be part of the Federal Transit Administration's Bus Livability Program. DotLoop is especially excited that our very own city of Cincinnati received investment to begin the Cincinnati Streetcar Project. A complete list of projects can be found here.

Says Secretary LaHood, "Our goals are to provide cleaner, safer, and more efficient ways to get around."

And no doubt do we need it.

As more and more urban cores revitalize, having safe, efficient, and people-friendly transportation options will be a component to creating livable, walkable, and connected neighborhoods.

Perhaps people will be able to get to know their neighborhoods a bit better once they look beyond their car's (La)Hood.

Walk this Way - Designing Communities For the Elderly

This past Saturday afternoon found me waiting at a stop sign at the end of my street for a bit longer than I would have liked. I was attempting to make a left hand turn onto a busy road, but I wasn't the only one waiting to get to my destination. Across the street to my right, an elderly lady, having just finished a grocery store run, was waiting to cross the same busy street at a pedestrian crosswalk.

Cars were flying by in both directions, and she was patiently waiting until the roadway was clear. Unfortunately, she was waiting longer than me; I made my left turn and continued down the street as her reflection got smaller and smaller in my rear-view mirror.

This got me to thinking, which is always a dangerous thing. But, having had a grandfather live his last days in a cold nursing home and with my grandmother currently living with my parents, I began to wonder if there's not a better way to create communities for the elderly--one which doesn't involve playing a deathly game of Frogger just to get a gallon of milk.

Senior living centers are certainly one way to avoid dodging Dodges, but is there a better way to make the neighborhoods and communities easier to navigate for those not used to the fast-paced, breakneck speeds of our modern society?

Comfortable and Easy

I certainly hope so, and not just for my own future: beginning next year, the population of those 65 and older will continue to grow faster than the total population of each state, and, within a mere twenty years, may overtake all other age demographics across the country.

Realty Times has an article today that discusses what kind of homes aging baby boomers want (hint: comfortable and easy). Shouldn't they also want a neighborhood to match?

"I Wish They'd Bring Back the Streetcars"

I too walk to the same grocery store as my elderly neighbor and I too have been subject to waiting and waiting and waiting while at the same crosswalk. Once, when standing next to her, I mentioned how annoying it was having to dodge traffic just to get a loaf of bread.

"I wish they'd bring back the streetcars," was what she told me, herself obviously annoyed too at what used to be a very walkable neighborhood. Luckily, more and more cities are looking into bringing streetcars back, including Cincinnati.

And I hope it happens. After all, when I'm 80 years old, I don't want to have to worry about getting hit by a flying car. I'll have enough to worry about as it is.

dotloop.com

Cupcakes and Corner Benches

I’m not sure why, but cupcake shops are starting to become all the rage now. Even Cincinnati is getting in on the mix.

Not that I’m complaining, mind you. It’s a pretty delicious trend. My first foray into this frosted fad found me at Butter Lane in the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC this past summer chomping down on what had to be the most delicious cupcake I’d ever eaten.

My friends and I had just finished a nice dinner and had some time to kill before meeting up with another group. We walked down the street and our stomachs guided us to the cupcake shop.

But here’s what’s kind of odd: after getting our first cupcake (yeah, we had to go back for seconds), we couldn’t find a place to enjoy it. There was one small bench outside of the shop that could seat two people comfortably and three elbows-in.

So, my friend and I stood while we let our girlfriends sit on the bench (yes, your humble blogger is a gentleman). We had a good time, despite half of us standing, and it wasn’t for lack of trying that Ryan and I ended up with crumbs running down our shirt. We looked down the block and saw literally no other bench within view. Across the street, there was a small playground, but it was fenced off because it belonged to the apartment complex it was near.

To put it simply: there was no public space within two blocks of where we were.

Compared to Boston, where there were benches on nearly every street and parks galore, New York City appeared to be nothing more than one giant conveyor belt, designed to move people along rather than allow them to congregate.

Public Space = Interaction

Public space has always been a very important function of any city or town, its ultimate goal encourages neighbors to get to know each other as people and not just an "amalgamation of strangers residing in proximity to each other".

Making market streets car-free is one way to foster interaction, but cobblestone walkways alone won't ensure interaction. Benches, statues, and other places to sit need to be a part of the equation, too.

After all, as Aristole once said, "Frequent meetings, encounters and exchanges of ideas among citizens – these qualities of the public realm are a fundamental requirement for citizens' well-being."

Public spaces not only allow for better knowledge of who your neighbors actually are, it helps make you a better citizen in your own neighborhood.

Now that's having your (cup)cake and eating it, too.

dotloop.com