In place of
bicycling, I’ll pay homage to the season and to the holiday. My favorite blogger, Kaid Benfield of the
National Resources Defense Council offers a photographic paean to cities in autumn. I can’t argue that the colors of fall look
better in a city than on a Vermont hillside, but an orange-leafed tree
silhouetted against a brick building or a walk through a leaf-littered park is a
fine accompaniment to everyday life.
My photos are
of Chico, California in late autumn. I
was spending a Thanksgiving weekend in the charming college town.
Regarding
the holiday, Brent Toderian provides his insights about urbanism and Halloween. He’s right that children are adept at sussing
out “door density”. And I love his
thought that children, especially becostumed children, are the indicator species
for healthy neighborhoods. May you live
in a neighborhood to which parents from all over town deliver their children
for a great Halloween experience.
Follow-Ups
and Scheduling Notes
Morristown,
Tennessee: Last December, I wrote about what I can only describe as an ill-conceived
downtown redevelopment project in Morristown,
Tennessee. I concluded my comments with
a request for anyone who had more information to join the conversation. Last week, after almost ten months, I
received a response.
In the
reader’s words, “I
happened to find myself in Morristown last spring, and while there I discovered
the walkways as well. Curious (horrified?), I went into the nearby antique shop
and asked what the deal was. The clerk
explained to me that in 1962 a local creek flooded and wiped out the downtown. City planners thought it would be clever to
build a ‘Skywalk’ (their name for it) as part of the repair efforts. They also thought that elevating many of the
businesses would avoid future flooding disasters. The clerk also explained that the creek has
since been diverted, and is no longer at risk of flooding the downtown. A much better use of the money than building
an elevated downtown if you ask me!”
When I expressed surprise that
the structure might date back to the 1960s, my correspondent had additional
information.
“As for the construction looking
more recent, the shop clerk did make it sound like it had been 'restored' in
recent years. I'm guessing it would've
cost more to tear it down? Never admit
defeat? I don't know. The whole thing was such a bizarre idea I
still don't know what to make of it.”
If the structures have truly
been “restored”, I’m dumbfounded. To me,
restoring that failed concept would be akin to taking a submarine down to
polish the brass on the Titanic. It
boggles the mind.
My thanks to the reader for the
additional information.
Bicycling to
School: After recently opining about the miniscule number of students who
bicycle to the schools in my neighborhood, I had a mostly enjoyable experience
late last week. While walking an elderly
canine member of the household, I spied a group of five bicyclists, perhaps
junior high students, racing toward me on the sidewalk.
Although I
had a pending cleanup of a deposit that the dog had just made next to the
sidewalk, I stepped back, baggie in hand, to await the bicyclists passing. Four passed uneventfully. The fifth hit the doggie deposit with both
tires, with what I assume was full intent.
Although it
made my cleanup more difficult, I took some satisfaction in the knowledge that,
with a fenderless bike, it was likely that the rider arrived at school with a
distinctive and unpleasant aroma.
It was great
to learn that some students still bicycle to school. It was less great to learn that seventh
graders are just as hormone-filled and clueless as when I was a seventh grader.
Petaluma Urban
Chat: The next Petaluma Urban Chat will be Tuesday, November 13 at the Aqus
Café. We gather at 5:30. It’s a loosely organized group with variable
attendance. There’s always room for
another chair or two at the table. Feel
free to join us for an unstructured discussion of urbanism, local politics, and
whatever other vaguely related topics may be raised.
Urban Chat has
selected “Curbside Chat” by StrongTowns.org for their first shared
reading. I anticipate that we’ll begin
discussing the booklet in December. The
booklet is available as a free download on the StrongTowns website. However, if anyone would prefer a hard copy
and doesn't like buying ink for a home printer, we can coordinate the printing
of multiple copies at a local print shop.
I’d expect something like $8 per copy.
Please let me know if you’re interested.
As always,
your questions or comments will be appreciated.
Please comment below or email me.
And thanks for reading. - Dave Alden (davealden53@comcast.net)
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