Heres the most recent one he posted.
But despite this being a walkable distance, theres many reasons why its unwalkable.
This road is incredibly unsafe.
I want you to notice something.
Things like light poles are offset.
Clearing obstacles away from cars is what is known as a clear zone.
But the irony of this is that humans inhabit the clear zone.
And just a reminder, people do have to walk here.
Not a lot of curb cuts, which makes it a challenge for accessibility.
Mind you, jaywalking is not illegal in Tennessee.
you’ve got the option to do it.
In fact, that is an unofficial unmarked walk.
Pedestrians technically have right of way and vehicles should stop, but they dont.
What would you expect her to do?
When you make the safe option inconvenient, you incentivize risky behavior.
Another thing we need to consider is what do we mean by walkable?
Jeff Speck in his book Walkable City mentions a few different things that we need to consider with walkability.
The first one is safety, which is a lot of what Im touching on now.
But you also want to think of things like the practical walk.
Pay attention to this building, because its in the background of this picture.
So now what youll see is a lot of vacant land, parking lot.
Even if this was a safe walk, its not really a practical walk.
Theres not a lot of places for me to go to to meet my daily needs via walking.
Notice the bollards, the reinforced wall, and the guardrail right here on the sidewalk.
Because technically, now this is streetside parking, but youre obstructed by this guardrail to enter the store.
Oh hey, theres a bench brought to you by the Chattanooga Urbanist Society.
Heres where pedestrians are supposed to be.
Heres some damage due to cars.
More damage in a pedestrian space.
Lots of shattered car pieces in detritus.
More highway infrastructure and ballards on this side of the building.
Thats because it was four lanes in this direction.
This is something most park departments dont even take into consideration.
And notice how the signs offset.
Thats to minimize the potential damage when cars come here.
This really isnt obstructing.
Like, I could get by even with a mobility aid.
But if you look up there, you could see some signs that are completely covering the sidewalk.
The brick doesnt match because a car ran into this and destroyed it.
This is a slip lane.
These slip lanes are incredibly dangerous and its unnecessary in this situation.
A car should just take a 90-degree turn right there.
Im technically in the park, but Im still not close to my destination.
Im going to walk through the grass just to take advantage of some of the shade.
Okay, I made it.
I spent seven and a half months in Europe last year.
I was enamored with how simple it is to create delightful neighborhoods, Jon Jon shared.
It doesnt have to be this way, and I want to show people another way.
It truly should be seen as an American ideal to increase the freedoms of everyone.
Jon Jon also shared what changes he would like to see.
We need to de-prioritize traffic flow in cities, he told Bored Panda.
Cars are dangerous at speed.
Downtowns thrive in part because people spend time there.
It doesnt make sense to create wider, speeding roads in places where we want people to linger.
Take them to coffee.
Ask them about local zoning laws and their stance on these issues.
And if youd like to learn more from Jon Jon, be sure to visit his websiteThe Happy Urbanist.
Roads were widened, sidewalks narrowed, trees chopped down, and transit defunded.
This is what people mean when they talk about fifteen-minute cities.
Safety is another important factor to consider.
Theres also the question of adequate shade in the summer and snow and ice clearance in the winter.
Finally, walkable environments should be physically enticing, the expert continued.
Sprawling parking lots and suburban lawns reduce compactness.
They are even less likely to be divorced!
Dr. Roberts encourages us to think about our vacations when we consider the benefits of walking.
Think about the places where people most often go on vacations.
For many people, its also a welcome relief from the stress of driving.
The same goes for people with many types of disabilities that preclude them from driving, he noted.
And of course, its great for ourhealth.
They can show up at public meetings and demand safer streets and bike lanes, he shared.
They can attend hearings in support of projects that bring more housing into walkable, mixed-use areas.
They can become Tactical Urbanists and restripe their streets to lower-speed geometries, the expert continued.
Lay down a missing crosswalk with house paint when nobody is watching!
Oops, did I just say that?
Finally, I would encourage people stuck in unwalkable suburbia to move, Jeff added.
There are things that can be done at a grassroots level to improve the walkability of certain areas.
Organizing to clean trash off a sidewalk could make it seem more inviting, the expert continued.
Theres safety in numbers.
The more people can be seen walking outside, the more local politicians will pay attention to their needs.
Finally, the expert noted that humans are bipedal apes.
Walking is in our DNA.
It is the least radical thing in the world.
The time has never been better to go back to more human-scale cities.
Readers called out the unfortunate conditions and echoed the importance of having walkable cities
Thanks!
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