Making a City Walkable, By the Book

City planner and architect Jeff Speck said a lot in a Wednesday night talk in the UGA Chapel. One thing he said repeatedly was that if you want to learn how to make a city more walkable, and thus more competitive economically, by attracting young entrepreneurs and well-heeled retirees who won’t strain the school system—well, you’ll have to buy his book Walkable City to find out.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Young people are driving less than years ago. One in four 19-year-olds doesn’t have a driver’s license. Hey, millenials grew up watching shows like “Sex in the City” and “Seinfield,” which are set in cities, so is it any wonder they are moving to cities? 

• Retirees are moving to walkable cities because have services close by means they can maintain their independence. You can walk, or dotter, long than you can drive.

• People are paying more to live in walkable areas. Just look at Portland and Manhatten.

• Speaking of Portland, the city invested $60 million in bike paths decades ago, and instituted a skinny streets policy. Since 1996, the number of miles driven by Portland residents has been dropping. The city saw an increase of 50 percent in the number of 20 to 30 year olds who moved there in the 1990s.

• Weight is linked to where you live. The farther you are from a city’s center, the fatter you’re going to be. Places designed around the car, the suburbs, are killing people, literally. Fourteen people a day die from asthma which is linked to car fumes.

• Buying hybrid cars often spurs people to drive more. 

• Historic buildings makes a city more competitive economically.

 Anything else you want to know? Buy the book.

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