Posted by Zoe Harris and Drew DeVitis
Local
On June 23 Housing Authority director Andrew Lofton, Deputy Mayor Hyeok Kim, Council Members Sally Clark and Tom Rasmussen, and area residents celebrated the ground-breaking of Seattle’s 10th Avenue South Hillclimb. The Hillclimb will offer a quicker, safer way to walk between Little Saigon, the International District, and Yesler Terrace.
A major attribute of Seattle’s waterfront redesign will include innovative art installations bringing vibrancy to the area. Five artists have been selected for public art commissions, and through July 8, 2014, submissions are still being accepted for the creation of public art projects.
Enjoy our nation’s Independence Day with an array of Puget Sound-area 4th of July holiday festivities that invite you to get out and explore your community on foot.
National
The Atlanta BeltLine is a project that aims to reconfigure the auto-dependent metropolitan area with a 22-mile loop of trails, parks, and greenspaces. When the BeltLine is complete, people will be able to walk 45 different neighborhoods on a loop of trails.
The biennial Pro Bike/Pro Walk/Pro Place conference is taking place September 8-11 in Pittsburgh, a city that is emerging as a leader in progressive street design under the guidance of new mayor Bill Peduto.
New research concludes that people with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease may improve their motor function, mood, fatigue levels, and more by taking regular aerobic walks.
On August 6th, Easter Seals Project Action is offering a webinar on Neighborhood Wayfinding, which will teach people about wayfinding and transportation connections, enabling them to help community leaders make good choices for spending local dollars on signs and strategies to help people find the way to preferred destinations in their communities.
International
In Hamburg, Germany, IKEA recently opened its first store within a central pedestrian shopping zone in a pilot project targeting the growing number of urbanites who have limited accessibility to cars, and prefer walking, biking, and taking public transportation.
The Open Space Society in England is fearful that a poorly drafted Infrastructure Bill puts common land, public paths, and open spaces at risk. The bill, currently in the House of Lords, appears to allow ministers to transfer land of public value to the Homes and Communities Agency and other bodies, and then to developers.
If you come across any interesting pedestrian news or stories, please send a link to zoe@feetfirst.org.
Photos courtesy of Seattle Housing Authority, Streetsblog, and Bloomberg.