cul-de-suck, err, cul-de-sac
Image on the left is from Woodinville, WA. On the right is from Ballard, WA. Both in the Greater Seattle Area. Which one do you think is efficient for people, emergency response vehicles, transit and traffic? In fact, research shows that traffic goes up when there are cul-de-sacs in a community. Also, another research shows that as neighbourhoods become walkable, more people start walking and biking (makes sense). Milton actually discourages cul-de-sac. A resident during door knocking asked why because she liked them. Luckily I found this picture...
Read MoreWhat Scott Blvd should look like
This is Sutton Drive in Burlington. Parking spots are raised, there is a median, bike path is painted and actual driveable area is narrow. Notice how the median has no grass? This is what Scott Blvd should look like. Aesthetics are important, they have a positive impact on your property values. Homes on Scott Blvd would be worth more if it looked like this, not to mention the road would be significantly safer for pedestrians....
Read MoreUrban Village
Urban Village is an anti-sprawl urban planning and design concept. A good urban village is characterized by a strong urban design, a high level of self-containment (people live, work and play in the same area), use of alternate transportation (transit, walking, biking) and a strong community attachment.Though there is no perfect urban village in practice, this blog focuses on initiatives that have successfully taken communities closer to the goal. The purpose is to turn my home – Milton, Ontario – into an enviable Urban Village. Suburbia-driven sprawl is not sustainable. Post...
Read MoreUrban Streets and Parking Lots
I lived in Seattle for a few years. Seattle reduced the total volume of storm water leaving streets simply by reducing paved surfaces and planting trees. It not only resulted in lower future operating costs, but it also ended up cleaning air and beautifying neighbourhoods. End result is roads like these :-Notice the centre heavily landscaped centre median? In Redmond, WA almost all 4-lane roads are decorated with a landscaped median. Another benefit is that it creates a perception of narrowness and acts as traffic calming. Bike lanes are off road, for cyclists’...
Read MoreMilton Is Regressing … :(
Trudeau Drive, with a beautifully landscaped median and multiple rows of trees: Holly Ave that came later. Not as nice is Trudeau but still a nice looking median with nice street lights with hanging pots: Scott Blvd, that came after. Tiny, ugly median with no beautification: We should be learning from old construction and making new ones better, not worse. Shameless promotion: This also underscores why it is important to have councillors who actually live in the neighbourhood (I live near Scott Blvd). If Ward 8 councillors actually...
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