For most of us, driving is a way of life. We drive to work, school, grocery stores, restaurants, theaters and even the gym. America’s massive investments in roads and highways have provided us with comfort, access and mobility. These conveniences however, have come at a price. Our auto-centric transportation system has spawned sedentary lifestyles that […]
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One of my proudest accomplishments in 2013 was not always using my car to get to work. I have always been a car person. I grew up in the country miles away from everyone who lived in town. I remember being jealous of friends who could walk or bike to each other’s houses and play. I […]
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In our series on how to measure and interpret the sustainability and livability of our communities, we continue today on the theme of public space priorities. We know that walkability is important and that creating a better pedestrian environment improves the economy and vitality of our communities. Making choices for better walkability also goes hand […]
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As we continue our research into what makes a community healthy, sustainable, and livable, we can use maps and geographic data to reveal new underlying trends and identify areas where our communities need improvement. We are using our home base of Madison, Wisconsin, as our test case, but the types of analysis we are doing […]
Read more about "Parking Space Or People Space?"
An important element of livable communities is how much space we devote to different modes of transportation. It is no secret that most American cities strongly favor cars. This picture shows how much space in downtown Detroit is devoted to space for storing cars. Parking garages and lots aside, many streets have been engineered to […]
Read more about "Paved Roadways or People Space?"
For our very last placemaking recommendation for the impending redesign of the 700 and 800 blocks of State Street and UW’s Library Mall (and we think we have saved the most important one for last), we strongly encourage the City of Madison and the UW-Madison to work together to create a programming coordinator position for […]
Read more about "Great Placemaking Idea #8: Programming Coordinator"