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Old 09-30-2014, 04:34 PM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,010,603 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nei View Post
Or maybe we could just not analyze each other's location and lifestyles deeply? Find an actual location as an example instead of asking about personal habits.
That is true, sorry about that, I guess I should have been more specific.
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Old 09-30-2014, 04:50 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,244,119 times
Reputation: 35920
Quote:
Originally Posted by nei View Post
Or maybe we could just not analyze each other's location and lifestyles deeply? Find an actual location as an example instead of asking about personal habits.
Thank you for that! I'm getting sick of the bold! We walk where we walk because we don't want to drive somewhere to get exercise. We made that commitment years ago. There's also a time constraint as we both work.
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Old 09-30-2014, 05:03 PM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,010,603 times
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Lets use Louisville, CO for our example seeing it gets brought up often and is small enough that it can be easily studied.

Louisville, CO has a walking score of 36 with much of it rating very low. The only area that are sort of walkable where people live is the area around the downtown.

Louisville Apartments for Rent and Louisville Rentals - Walk Score

Now a suburban town of 18K people should be easy to have it be a very walkable town. So what are the changes the town would need to make to better improve the walkability of the town?


**nei, if you want this could easily be its own thread to help talk about making a small suburban town more walkable.***
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Old 09-30-2014, 05:03 PM
nei nei won $500 in our forum's Most Engaging Poster Contest - Thirteenth Edition (Jan-Feb 2015). 

Over $104,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum and additional contests are planned
 
Location: Western Massachusetts
46,009 posts, read 53,194,339 times
Reputation: 15174
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katiana View Post
We walk where we walk because we don't want to drive somewhere to get exercise. We made that commitment years ago. There's also a time constraint as we both work.
Ok. For myself, I don't really think of walking as for excercise, my bicycle serves that purpose, more as just another means of transportation. I live close enough to things I walk that it's not much of a time consumer. I like walking because I get to be outside, and I feel nice to wander around in your town, see the people and places there, rather than drive past it. It doesn't need to be exciting, but if walking around was completely unpleasant and the streetscape was bland, now that I have a car, why would I bother walk there*?

*Actually even before, I would bicycle rather than walk more to the "uninteresting" locations. I explained it better here:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/34537316-post13.html

I didn't consider excercise, but I was thinking of walking for the purpose of getting somewhere..
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Old 09-30-2014, 05:20 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,244,119 times
Reputation: 35920
Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanlife78 View Post
Lets use Louisville, CO for our example seeing it gets brought up often and is small enough that it can be easily studied.

Louisville, CO has a walking score of 36 with much of it rating very low. The only area that are sort of walkable where people live is the area around the downtown.

Louisville Apartments for Rent and Louisville Rentals - Walk Score

Now a suburban town of 18K people should be easy to have it be a very walkable town. So what are the changes the town would need to make to better improve the walkability of the town?


**nei, if you want this could easily be its own thread to help talk about making a small suburban town more walkable.***
Maybe they could bulldoze the hills down. It's very walkable on the flats. I don't know how walkscore got that number, but they are notoriously unreliable.
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Old 09-30-2014, 05:23 PM
 
Location: Philaburbia
41,744 posts, read 74,721,167 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katiana View Post
I've done a lot of walking, and the only thing I was ever concerned about was my personal safety. I don't need buskers, fire jugglers and the like that they have on the Pearl St. Pedestrian Mall in Boulder to make walking enjoyable.
Damn, fire jugglers?! I knew I was missing out on something.

The heck with this walking crap, unless I get more "entertainment" value per step.

Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanlife78 View Post
Though it doesn't sound like there is much to walk to where you are walking. Which is a very common trait with suburban areas. I grew up in a suburban area and the only thing that was within walking distance was the park.
And as has been countered many times in this forum, your experience is yours alone, not everyone else's. Certainly not mine.

Nor does everyone need multiple destinations when walking.

Quote:
Originally Posted by nei View Post
I live close enough to things I walk that it's not much of a time consumer. I like walking because I get to be outside, and I feel nice to wander around in your town, see the people and places there, rather than drive past it. It doesn't need to be exciting, but if walking around was completely unpleasant and the streetscape was bland, now that I have a car, why would I bother walk there*?
Because you like walking?

The only "unpleasant" factor for me is a lack of safety, whether that comes from unsavory undesirables, or from the condition of the road and sidewalk (or lack thereof). On the other hand, I wouldn't expect a former wagon lane built in the late 1700s between two former rural crossroads to have sidewalks.

Right now that former wagon lane is under major construction. On the one hand, tripping over the broken sidewalks (usually on my way to a singular destination) is a major pain in the behind, especially when recovering from a pesky knee injury. On the other hand, it's now easier to cross the street because no one can drive more than 15 mph without losing a piece of undercarriage.

Last edited by Ohiogirl81; 09-30-2014 at 05:25 PM.. Reason: Stupid censor made the post unintelligble ....
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Old 09-30-2014, 05:28 PM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,010,603 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Katiana View Post
Maybe they could bulldoze the hills down. It's very walkable on the flats. I don't know how walkscore got that number, but they are notoriously unreliable.
Not necessary, much of Louisville is fairly level or with low elevation changes. The only hilly portion seems to be along the northwestern side of the town. There is only a small portion where the terrain becomes an issue, which just creates a new challenge for making a place more walkable.

Walkscore gets its numbers by how many amenities are within walking distance. Currently Louisville, CO is ranked low when it comes to walkability.
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Old 09-30-2014, 05:30 PM
 
Location: Foot of the Rockies
90,316 posts, read 120,244,119 times
Reputation: 35920
Quote:
Originally Posted by urbanlife78 View Post
Lets use Louisville, CO for our example seeing it gets brought up often and is small enough that it can be easily studied.

Louisville, CO has a walking score of 36 with much of it rating very low. The only area that are sort of walkable where people live is the area around the downtown.

Louisville Apartments for Rent and Louisville Rentals - Walk Score

Now a suburban town of 18K people should be easy to have it be a very walkable town. So what are the changes the town would need to make to better improve the walkability of the town?


**nei, if you want this could easily be its own thread to help talk about making a small suburban town more walkable.***
I see walkscore is up to its old tricks of deception. Several of those apt. complexes are not even in Louisville. ALL the apts actually in Lsvl have walkscores of 55-65.

@Ohiogirl81-yep, fire jugglers!
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Old 09-30-2014, 05:30 PM
nei nei won $500 in our forum's Most Engaging Poster Contest - Thirteenth Edition (Jan-Feb 2015). 

Over $104,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum and additional contests are planned
 
Location: Western Massachusetts
46,009 posts, read 53,194,339 times
Reputation: 15174
Quote:
Originally Posted by Katiana View Post
Maybe they could bulldoze the hills down. It's very walkable on the flats.
Why would that make much of a difference? It's not like bulldozing the hills would add more things to walk to.
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Old 09-30-2014, 05:31 PM
 
Location: Portland, Oregon
46,001 posts, read 35,010,603 times
Reputation: 7875
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81 View Post

And as has been countered many times in this forum, your experience is yours alone, not everyone else's. Certainly not mine.

Nor does everyone need multiple destinations when walking.

True, but we all go to multiple destinations throughout our week. We are all different and we all have different needs for amenities, but more often then not, those amenities cross over and we actually do many common things. Having those things within walking distance makes it easier to use without having to drive a distance to get to those amenities.
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