[Pixie]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Andrew_S', 'I') was impressed that it even recognized my mere street address - but wrong town (Helsinki).

Yet more surprised when given the town name in addition to the street it actually found it!

Thing is, it scored a mere 5/100.

Really, where I live is very walkable, if you can walk! (Going on my example, I wonder whether that site is for the mobility challenged, which of course is another issue.)

On edit: okay in fairness, it may due to lack of data in this case.

[steam_cannon]

My town is #1 on a lot of lists...

Walkscore: 91/100

We have a Sustainability Plan with a pretty nice zoning scheme.
http://www.northamptonma.gov/aboutNorth ... ty%5FPlan/

Compact well planned city surrounded by a river, mountains, farm fields and...



We're #1 in the list of "Top Lesbian Cities & Towns"!
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('lesbianlife', 'D')ubbed as "Lesbianville U.S.A." by the The National Enquirer in 1992, Northampton, MA is the best city in America for lesbians. The Northampton area has always been a great place to live, and because gays and lesbians can get legally married in Massachusetts, it tops our list. Northampton is a small town, but because of the numerous universities, including Smith College, Northampton has all the cultural offerings of a big city.
http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/familie ... Cities.htm

[auscanman]

My house only got a score of 45 when its in probably the most walkable part of Toronto, with anything I could need within walking distance, and all modes of public transit close by. I think their database is less than complete. For instance, my closest library is listed as being 8 km away, when there are 2 within 1km of here. Their calculation also doesn't appear to take access to public transit (and the quality of that public transit) into account.

As a point of contrast, I entered a suburban location I unfortunately had to live in for 2 months that is far away from everything (and with a major arterial road between it and everything) to see how that would score, and it got a 23, which is much higher than it deserves.

It seems like a flawed calculation.

[Lanthanide]

I don't think anyone would take this as a gospel truth as to how walkable a neighborhood is. It could be particularly distorted as it may miss out some facilities, or as I pointed out in the first post not consider things like doctors, which may be more important to you (older, with no children or adult children) than things like schools.

This could be a useful tool for anyone considering moving somewhere else though - gives you a quick snapshot of what's around in the area.

[Andrew_S]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pixie', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Andrew_s', '
')Really, where I live is very walkable, if you can walk! (Going on my example, I wonder whether that site is for the mobility challenged, which of course is another issue.)

On edit: okay in fairness, it may due to lack of data in this case.

[steam_cannon]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Lanthanide', 'T')his could be a useful tool for anyone considering moving somewhere else though - gives you a quick snapshot of what's around in the area.

[Heineken]

Unfortunately here in the US, walkable (and reasonably safe) neighborhoods tend to be EXPENSIVE neighborhoods, with the exception of some small rural towns (where there are few to no decent jobs). The ultimate examples of this phenomenon can be found in ritzy places like Manhattan and San Francisco.

Yes, I know, there are exceptions, which is why I wrote "tend to."

[Loki]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('thuja', '7')5 and lovin' it

[dinopello]

Listen to discussion on Walkable Urbanism

[Opies]

Walk Score: 3 out of 100

Gotta love suburbia

[dinopello]

Messed up.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'O')utside metropolitan Atlanta, one of the nation's most congested cities, Michelle Carvalho's dreamhouse is 3,000 square feet. It has five bedrooms, a two-car garage and a big yard.

[Ainan]

It hit me pretty hard today. In my 22 years on this earth I have been watching my own country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to use it's full name, die. I realised today it died a long time ago. Theres no real form to this post, it's basically a rant to people who already understand.

I grew up in what affectionally has been called a 'backwater' because there are few large cites there. When I was a child, we had maypoles to dance around, festivals in the church, prayers and songs, which while I'm not a Christian I enjoyed. When I was a kid, we played in the fields, orchards and droves. We could walk around without fear, we went to pubs with our familys, there were pubs! People still rode horses, right past my window, we got to ride them too. People kept goats, pigs, geese, chickens, you name it and we walk past them to school. We even had morris dancing, for better for worse.

But growth, progress and the all consuming mass culture of the city wanted another victim. The commuters moved in, 1000s of new homes were built overnight, the school with a 100 acre playfield shut down to make way for houses. In its place a tiny modern school entirely concreted over bar enough grass for a half sized football field. Which the children are not allowed on during play time since it would ruin the grass.

Now the kids don't celebrate festivals, certainly not in the church. Nor do they have prayer or singing in assembles now. We wouldn't want to offend the 100s of new immigrant familys who just moved in to the newly built council houses. Council houses of course because so many local houses are unaffordable even to locals who have lived hear since forever, due to being brought by commuters or second homes for yuppies.

The fields are being built over and paganic representations fertility(maypoles) can no longer be found. Even birds are thin on the ground these days... prehaps thats not what I meant. Few goats and horses too, they take up too much space.

No one goes outside anymore, the streets are too dangerous, suddenly gangs of yobs have appeared now that middle class city folk have moved in. There was once very little crime, now its an epidemic! It's not just new arrivals, its working class kids and adults who now have a desire for the same things the middle class have. It is amazing how quick the transition has been, there is no real community any more, just people who happen to live in the same area.

It's nothing more than the spread of [s]cancer[/s] civilisation. Endless sprawl all consuming and all imposing.

[hr]

I see the same thing happening over central Europe where I am living now. I want to hear other peoples experiences in relation to what I have described. I'm sure many PO.com members grew up in the country making them far more rational and just plain sane than the rest of humanity. Tell me about where you come from and whats been changing? Has a river you sailed on as a child been dammed up? Has the community been destroyed by new arrivals? Consider looking at google earth, especially the UK, the sprawl never ends.

</rant>

[Arsenal]

I agree! When I was a kid we had tons of land to hunt/fish/hike/camp on with no fences or worries about seeing another human for miles. Now you have to drive farther and farther to see even half of the same freedoms and even then it is full of other people. Most of these people litter, tear up the ground, chop down trees for firewood, etc.. I was always taught to leave the area cleaner and better off then when you got there but these self-absorbed consumers are destroying it.

Towns... Ha. Dances, rodeos, town meetings, or really any outdoor activity is gone. Farms are paved over, shopping malls built and the consumers swarm in like locusts.

Kids. I fear for my 2 yr old. Not for the end of the world but for the freedoms/mischief that have been lost. I used to play in old mines, shoot everywhere (safely), blow up mailboxes, build potato guns, generally be a nuisance to society and if you were caught you would have to pay for the damages and receive a slap on the wrist. Nowadays you would be charged with so many felonies or considered a terrorist that you would be thrown in jail with your life ruined. You can't own a firearm, vote, get a decent job with a felony on your record. So either you fall into step with every other child drone out there or risk bucking the system.

Technology. With all the abilities to connect with via email, cell phones, video conferences, blah, blah, blah, we are isolating ourselves from actual human interaction. Self checkout lines, ATMs, automated video rental machine, etc.. Very few people actually connect with nature or humans deeply anymore. As a result we see more anti-depressants, suicides, drug use, homicides, etc..

Civilization. HA.. This doesn't seem like the civilization I want to be a part of. A powered down community would be a far happier place to live.

Unplug people!!

/rant

[JJ]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Arsenal', 'I') agree! When I was a kid we had tons of land to hunt/fish/hike/camp on with no fences or worries about seeing another human for miles. Now you have to drive farther and farther to see even half of the same freedoms and even then it is full of other people. Most of these people litter, tear up the ground, chop down trees for firewood, etc.. I was always taught to leave the area cleaner and better off then when you got there but these self-absorbed consumers are destroying it.

Towns... Ha. Dances, rodeos, town meetings, or really any outdoor activity is gone. Farms are paved over, shopping malls built and the consumers swarm in like locusts.

Kids. I fear for my 2 yr old. Not for the end of the world but for the freedoms/mischief that have been lost. I used to play in old mines, shoot everywhere (safely), blow up mailboxes, build potato guns, generally be a nuisance to society and if you were caught you would have to pay for the damages and receive a slap on the wrist. Nowadays you would be charged with so many felonies or considered a terrorist that you would be thrown in jail with your life ruined. You can't own a firearm, vote, get a decent job with a felony on your record. So either you fall into step with every other child drone out there or risk bucking the system.

Technology. With all the abilities to connect with via email, cell phones, video conferences, blah, blah, blah, we are isolating ourselves from actual human interaction. Self checkout lines, ATMs, automated video rental machine, etc.. Very few people actually connect with nature or humans deeply anymore. As a result we see more anti-depressants, suicides, drug use, homicides, etc..

Civilization. HA.. This doesn't seem like the civilization I want to be a part of. A powered down community would be a far happier place to live.

Unplug people!!

/rant

[mercurygirl]

I'm sorry right along with you Ainan. I cry, weep, despair sometimes. Still, I can find joy too. Hold on to what we do have and try to do the right things. It's only words typed on my computer, but of course you're not alone.

[Last_Laff]

I'm jobless, professional city cyclist and knows all this more than fairly well. But alas, I'm enjoying life. That's all it takes.

We're spawned.

[TheDude]

Ainan - I hear ya. Know a little bit about Morris, own a few John Kirpatrick records. Grand stuff. Have a keen interest in traditional music, especially Irish. I grew up waaay out in dry land wheat farming/sheep and cattle ranching territory, lots of Irish people who used to have dances in halls. My grandfather was at one of these about 1930, not as a participant - my family's of Swiss extraction. Someone asked him, "Say, Dutch (his nickname - don't ask ), do you suppose you could collect a little for the musicians?" So he went up a guy, asked if he could help out the band. "'Deed I can, I've got the voice of an angel!"

You still often get the same kind of warm reception in little farm towns like that, and the descendants of immigrants often carry on with traditions like music - the Irish do round where I grew up. (Not how I became interested in it, though) But big cities, jeez. Is someone going to feel warmly sentimental or proud to uphold whatever kind of tradition that comes out of those 120 decibel car sound systems? Anybody going to found the equivalent of the English Folk Dance and Song Society for hip hop? Uhhh...kinda doubt it. Reactionary people will burn up that stuff in bonfires a lot more enthusiastically then they did with Beatles records after Lennon said they were bigger than Jesus.

That stuff's purely urban in its genesis, all cheap energy manifest in sound, and without cheap energy it'll be gone forever. I mean, how do you score rap music?

My rant about modern sounds. Some of it I enjoy (I have catholic (=universal) tastes) but I don't think much of it has a future, beyond some really mutated form.

I'd imagine you've read John Seymour, who documented the passing of rural life in England quite beautifully.

[janser]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ainan', '
')
The fields are being built over and paganic representations fertility(maypoles) can no longer be found. Even birds are thin on the ground these days... prehaps thats not what I meant. Few goats and horses too, they take up too much space.

</rant>

[Ainan]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TheDude', 'I')'d imagine you've read John Seymour, who documented the passing of rural life in England quite beautifully.

[yesec9]

I don't know if this has been discussed before, but I found an interesting article about suburban sprawl. It dismisses the claims that sprawl is the result of the free market at work. It makes three main points:

1) Federal housing policy has moved middle-class families out of cities both by subsidizing migration to suburbs and by making cities unlivable.

2) Statist transportation policy, like statist housing policy, has consistently favored suburban migration. For most of the 20th century, a major priority of all levels of government was to build roads. By doing so, the government destroyed urban neighborhoods both directly (through physical destruction of cities) and indirectly (by using roads to drain cities of their middle- class tax base).

3) School-based flight has been caused by federal incompetence. For the past 40 years, the federal courts have used a variety of techniques to force racial integration on city schools but made little effort to integrate suburban schools. Because African Americans tend to be poorer than Whites, a racially integrated urban school typically includes children from a city's poorest neighborhoods. As a result, parents who want to send their children to schools dominated by other middle-class children cannot do so without moving to the suburbs or shelling out thousands of dollars for private school tuition.

link

The article suggests the solutions for each problem:
1) No New Roads
2) School Vouchers
3) Fewer Zoning Restrictions

Let me know what you all think about this article and it's claims.