#walkable spaces

[mariecaketoinette]

My partner and I spent the week in NY. It was hot and muggy because August but as usual, we had an excellent time. I fucking love NY. I love how walkable the place is. I love the food, cliché as that sentiment is. There aren’t a huge number of restaurants out this way at all and for some reason, most of the “foreign” food is Thai. Or, rather, “Thai”. You know, like your local Chinese buffet is “Chinese”. So on that front, NY is a wonderland. And since you walk everywhere, it’s not required you gain weight just because you stuffed yourself stupid on dosas and Korean cheesecakes. Locally, eating out as a vegetarian means pizza or an overpriced salad. It means cobbling together appetizers or ordering grilled cheese, sometimes via the medium of “I’d like a cheeseburger no meat”. It means diner breakfast or chasing down the one food truck (which, admittedly, is excellent). What it *isn’t* is convenient or interesting or worth the price. In NY, It was all of those things.

I fucking love New York. And I wish the train ride to get there wasn’t so long.

[cozywithanna]

✺ ✾ moodboard ✾ ✺

will always be a boston girl

source: pinterest

[meadowlade]

I collected snapshots of my design process for Bunny Burrow, and I have to say that I should remember to do this more often - I do love a good progress snapshot after all :))

Bunny Burrow is a commissioned map, and I'd like to mention that my client is incredibly lovely and provided me with the best sketch in the history of sketches I've received! Here it is vs. the finished product (without MMAP's ambient lighting feature):

This has been a really fun project. I have more maps planned in the near future, so stay tuned! 🧡

[lilithsaintcrow]

"American suburbs are full of ugly, empty, liminal spaces: spaces you are not meant to linger in or enjoy. They’re the creepy hallways of the built environment, and you can’t feel comfortable traversing them unless you’re zooming past them in a car."

[twisted-tales-told]

“We should all get a Big House Together and—“

No.

My dream is a walkable neighborhood.

You’re telling me the ideal living situation for you is roomates??? Babe. Babe. Walkable. Neighbourhood.

Everyone gets their own little place to decorate themselves and you can walk to the grocery store to the cafe to the library and bookstores and garden centres and parks and trails. Like we go for coffee I walk you home and get to my nice affordable apartment with a roof that’s a community garden.

[icewindandboringhorror]

It's always interesting to hear about people's weird/unexpected "alternate life paths". Like, something that you could have done with your life, a job you almost took, a school you almost went to, etc - that was still actually realistic enough that it could have happened, but NOW it seems to not suit your current personality.

Like for example, I currently hate advertising (how manipulative it is, brands trying to be 'relatable', social media amplifying it to an obnoxious extreme, etc.) so much that even seeing a little ad before a youtube video is grating to even witness, but there was a point in time where I was genuinely seriously considering going into marketing/making commercials as a career lol. Or like, I have a relative who was very inclined to be a pastor when they were younger, even though today they're a super strong atheist, etc. etc.

[my-entropy-hurts]

All of the 'walkable' cities in my area have bumps, cracks, blocked sidewalks, random stairs, and a lack of benches.

They are also consistently rated 'most walkable' in my state. My friend in a wheelchair cannot navigate those cities. I struggle to walk around those cities, even as a cane user.

I would like to add 'most wheelable' and 'most sitable' city polls to the walkability question because I cannot visit my family in the city without nearly faceplanting down the stairs and losing all use of my legs

[n04h-0877]

is the reason i have 5 friends in my town because im autistic/transgender or because of the crippling lack of third spaces and time outside in our society. or maybe teenagers are just mean.

[clowningaroundmars]

lots of stores shutting down and businesses going bankrupt in my state....

kinda nervous not bc of of corps dying but bc this country has historically been terrible about leaving vacant storefronts and parking lots collecting dust and weeds for years!

places that could be used for housing, community centers, etc just sittin there 😔

[thiscitylife]

Urban Renewal: How Simple Acts and Third Spaces can Reconnect Our Communities

As we navigate this post-pandemic world, I've been pondering the idea of connection, particularly in our urban spaces. It's why I launched the Urban Renewal series to focus on how we can improve social connections in our communities. For the first installment of the series, I had the pleasure of chatting with fellow Vancouverite, Peg Fong, a journalist, author, and educator who launched a podcast and book during the pandemic titled, Alone Together, exploring the topic of loneliness in cities.

In our conversation, Peg shared her insights on how we can rebuild a sense of community.

The Simple Act of Walking

During the pandemic when we were mostly confined to our homes, the ability to stroll through the neighborhood and see other people was often our main source of face-to-face interaction.

"I live in Yaletown, a very walkable area of Vancouver, which was something I took for granted," Peg shared. “But during the pandemic it became so important to have these public spaces where we could walk and see other people around, even if we couldn't be together.”

Public spaces like parks and sidewalks became lifelines for connecting with others, reminding us that we weren't truly alone. However when the pandemic was over, many people continued to stay home, preferring teleworking and shopping online to being out and about in their communities.

“I grew up in the Prairies and we always had community areas where people gathered after church or on the weekends, whether it was a local community center or hockey rink. I think we've lost some of that.”

With more people working from home and having food and goods delivered, we don’t have spontaneous interactions typically experienced when going out to the office or the store. To make up for those lost connections, walking and spending time in public spaces becomes even more important to building community.

Activating Public Spaces

But, it’s not just about having more public spaces – it's about activating them. Imagine a public square with giant chess boards, live music, or pop-up markets. These kinds of events draw people in and create opportunities for spontaneous connection that might not happen otherwise.

You can build a great public space, but if there is no programming, people won’t come. North Vancouver’s Shipyards is a world-class example of how to design and activate a public space - with a massive waterpark (which transforms into a skating rink in the winter); gorgeous waterfront views; Adirondak chairs; giant toys and games; an ice cream shop; restaurants; breweries; a stage playing live music; regularly programmed events including movies, night markets, and yoga classes; art galleries; a public market; hotels; shops; public transit; and a seawall - all within 100 metres.

In comparison, when I visited Robson Square, Vancouver’s central public space, during the pandemic there was nothing going on except one tent trying to illegally sell marijuana baked goods. You can guess where most people would rather spend their time.

Third Spaces: More Than Just Coffee Shops

While discussing the benefits of walking and enjoying public spaces, Peg and I got on the topic of "third spaces." These are places that aren't homes or workplaces, but rather community hubs where we can gather, relax, and connect with others. Think of your local coffee shop, library, or even a dog park. These spaces are essential for fostering those spontaneous interactions with our neighbours that we may have lost during the pandemic.

Urban planning best practices suggest that every home should be within a 5-10 minute walk to a park, but we don’t talk about the importance of being able to easily walk to a coffee shop or corner store.

“I grew up in an apartment above a grocery store in Calgary. We had people buying groceries there, but also sitting on the deck or stairs eating popsicles and enjoying drinks. It became a gathering spot in my neighborhood, but I never thought about how important it was to have those places until the pandemic shut so many things down.”

Many cities are recognizing how zoning bylaws limit the ability to build these third spaces in residential areas. This includes Vancouver, which has streamlined the permitting process, offering micro-business licenses and creating flexible zoning regulations to allow for more mixed-use developments that include housing and ground-level shops or cafés.

Safe Streets and Small Interventions

When people can safely use streets for active transportation like walking and biking around their neighborhood, they are more likely to get out of their homes and cars to interact with their neighbors, support local businesses, and socialize outdoors. Sometimes, the simplest interventions to make our streets safe, like crosswalks, four-way stops, bollards, and lighting, can have the biggest impact.

Peg shared a story about her relatives visiting from Bogota, Colombia, who were amazed to be able to walk safely under Vancouver’s overpasses. It's a reminder that even details like well-lit walkways and wide sidewalks give people a sense of security and encourage walking.

We also spoke about how small, low-cost interventions such as adding more benches in our public spaces can build community. “One of my favorite episodes of the Alone Together podcast was about benches. They are special because they’re not just a place to sit, they’re spots available to anyone - that availability turns benches into opportunities for connections.”

“Benches are bridges between those eager to chat, and those wanting to just listen," said Peg. "When we sit on a bench, we’re indicating we’re part of a world that maybe we feel too lonely or afraid to fully participate in. Benches give us an opportunity to be engaged in our surroundings, whether it's observing from the side or opening up a chance for conversation.”

What Can We Do?

Rebuilding our connections in a post-pandemic city doesn't have to involve a lot of effort. Here are a few ways to start:

Support local businesses: Visit that new coffee shop, browse the farmers market, or check out a local art show. These activities help keep our communities vibrant and promote spaces for us to gather.

Get involved: Go to those local events in your community, or even volunteer to help organize one. Lobby your local government for safer streets and better public spaces. You might be surprised at how quickly you can connect with others who share your interests.

Start small: Organize a neighborhood gathering, strike up a conversation with someone on the bus, or simply offer a friendly smile to a passerby. Even if that means, you know, checking in on our neighbours, asking if someone is doing ok. These small acts of kindness can go a long way in building a sense of community.

We all have a role to play in creating the kind of city we want to live in. According to Peg, "we have a responsibility to reach out to other people to make our communities a place where everyone feels connected."

[h4ll0w33n-isle]

this was the first version of the anihilation lighthouse build, since torn down

[unluckystreak]

Americans have done nothing but complain about traffic for DECADES but when you go “ok. what if we weren’t forced to do all that car-centric nonsense then?” suddenly everyone would rather die than have more than one way to get from A to B

[lemon-wedges]

.....

[cnu-newurbanism]

The Block, The Street, and The Building Charter Principle 19

[dionysus-complex]

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[bluespringwrites]

that's what i like about college, other than it being a walkable community. there's many places for me to just sit. sometimes by myself, staring at a wall or reading or knitting, as well as with friends.

like man doesn’t it fucking suck that there’s not really any public space. that you can’t go anywhere without spending money on food or transportation, that unless you wanna sit on a mall bench all day or browse library shelves you basically can’t do anything in public? even standing in front of a building without paying for something (“loitering”) is illegal. everything is built to punish homeless people which means if you ever want to sit down or rest or exist in public every building and park bench and windowsill is telling you to kill yourself instead. maybe that has something to do with the unpleasantness of online spaces, where everyone is shoved together into a giant digital chamber because it’s the only “public square” still available while also being isolated and alone in their room on their phone because everything sucks and a global pandemic is still happening. like I’m just saying I think that has more to do with how annoying people are on the internet than like mcu fanfiction