Weekly Walk Around the News

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Feet First’s look at pedestrian news for the week of June 10, 2011.

Weekly Walk Around the News

Posted by Derrick Van Kirk June 10, 2011

Local

Are the days of signs that read: NO SKATEBOARDING ALLOWED coming to an end?  Receiving national attention and praise from the California-based Tony Hawk Foundation which focuses on supporting and empowering youth through skateboarding, the Tacoma City Council is revising the City’s comprehensive plan to encourage the use of skateboards as a form of environmentally friendly, alternative transportation.

The City of Seattle’s Thornton Creek Project received national attention this week in this article.

On July 28th 31st a group of fifty trail trampers will go for a walk.  The Long Walk, from Puget Sound to Snoqualmie Falls, is a four day trek along 45 miles of the King County trail system.  As of 6/6, three spots still remain.

The multi use detour trail for Alaskan way between Atlantic Street and S Royal Brougham Wy is going to stay open through July while crews finish up construction on the new path.  WSDOT asks cyclists and pedestrians to use caution and remember that this is an active construction area.

A section of the Burke-Gilman trail will close on June 15.  The two mile stretch, from Northeast 145th Street to Log Boom Park in Kenmore, will be close for six months as crews make repairs.

The Spokane Regional Health District wishes to invite you to a training to learn more about how you can make your community a healthy community.  This event will take place on June 21, 2011.  Follow this link for details and registration information.

 

National

As noted by Richard Florida, Senior Editor at The Atlantic, if living in walkable, transit-friendly areas that are environmentally sustainable are not reason enough re-think our neighborhoods, perhaps knowledge of the economic benefits to individual families who live in these communities will convince us.   A group of people in the Atlanta area are doing just that.  In 2002 like-minded land owners began working with the county to create a new land use plan to replace the original one acre per lot to a plan that clusters development in dense hamlets and preserves 70 percent of the area’s open space.  The result is community of that has grown to 260 residents who enjoy high-density housing with walkablity and a self-sufficient mix of agriculture and local business. 

Four University of Pennsylvania students conducted a walkability assessment of one neighborhood in Philadelphia to determine the difficulties for senior citizens to age in place.  The study considers the walking environment for seniors and how it affects their ability to remain living independently in their neighborhood as they age.

 

If you come across any interesting pedestrian news or stories, please send a link to derrick@feetfirst.org

Photo of shoes courtesy of Flickr user blond avenger under the Creative Commons license.

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