MyWHaT

Monday Rant

Today is the 6 month mark since MyWHaT launched on January 4th. Since then, the BLOG has generated over 30,000 hits, published 295 posts, had 515 reader comments and over 200 unique hits per day. It’s attracted attention from other media sources and a few government officials claim to follow it from time to time. Currently, it’s not a fully funded endeavor, but it has 7 proud underwriters, received some awesome donations and a growing list of guest contributors that help keep it going. It now also has a social media fan page.

All in all, it’s going well.

A big thank you to all who’ve contributed the last 6 months. Even if you’ve only glanced at the BLOG once, it has helped to maintain the motivation. I often say the best way to calm traffic is having large numbers of pedestrians using public space. Well, a good way to motivate a writer, is having large numbers of readers visiting, commenting on and sharing the work with others.  This BLOG started as a way to process the material and experiences I was digesting. I soon realized that there was a tremendous amount of traction in the community for my voice our voices.

Learning to walk, so we can run

As I move forward I realize that my own assumptions can be the biggest obstacle to having a useful impact. Clearing those assumptions away is part of the process & practice. This endeavor started as a reaction to frustrating processes. That energy fueled the compulsion to learn, publish and engage. Those frustrating processes remain, although they shape-shift, and at times multiply, as relationships are built, knowledge learned and events occur. I’m learning.

I’ve often been counseled  to be more patient and that we have to have clear priorities and although many of us may agree on what looks good, it will take a long time to get there. I believe I’m very patient, I’m just not apologetic about wanting to move Traverse City and the region closer to “Yes, in my backyard”. Many of us have already visioned what we’d like to see northern Michigan look like in 30 years. What I want to see now is implementation and the 3, 5 and 10 year plans to keep us moving in that direction. Some of that is happening, but in many arenas there remains institutional and cultural blockage.

One of those institutional blocks is how priorities are set. For starters, we need to be less driven by funding sources. Often they are entangled with entrenched biases and old ways of thinking. Instead, let’s let our community aspirations of a walkable, bikable and vibrant community lead our decisions. If old methods of funding don’t work, find new ones, because if we don’t change the way this region grows and develops, we will simply be adding to existing problems.

For example, the prioritization of building for single occupant cars continues to drive infrastructure development. It’s where the money has traditionally been, it’s the way it’s always been done and it no longer serves the choices required for a vibrant community. I’m arguing that today is the day to change that perspective. We need to start building people-centered infrastructure, not infrastructure for our most inefficient  modes of transportation. In 30 years, we need to be living the car-less life, not just getting started.

Nothing we talk about is new.

It’s all been said before and in places the intentional design of people centered places has even been embraced. We can learn from those successes. We have a beautiful community with many attributes and a lot of good things going for it, but we also have an incremental culture of getting things done. Seriously, how many meetings can one community have? The main goal of the work on this BLOG and behind the scenes is to shorten the span from good ideas to living their implementation.

I pledge to keep going. See you there.

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A shortlist of MyWHaT objectives for the remainder of 2010:

1. Daily readers: Daily unique visitors will double to 400 by December.
2. Underwriters: MyWHaT will have enough underwriters to be able thrive in 2011.
3. Posts: Continue almost 2 posts a day, 5 days a week while remaining relevant, unique and sustainable.

In addition, here are a few issues that MyWHaT will be watching and that I will be actively involved in: Division Street corridor, Bay Front/Grandview Parkway Design, 2011 Traverse City street projects, Traverse City master plan transportation elements, neighborhood park development, conducting walking street audits, the proposed West Boardman Lake Avenue and complete street policies and initiatives.

Monday’s Quote

Cities of the twenty-first century should be lively cities, safe cities, sustainable cities and healthy cities. All of these qualities can be achieved if we embrace these ten principles, which means putting people first.“

~ Jan Gehl, Danish urbanist

Gehl, known for designing public spaces that promote gathering, walking and bicycling, is commenting on a recent publication and exhibition titled, Our Cities Ourselves. The project mainly focuses on the needs of the large cities, but the issues are only a matter of scale. As Traverse City and northern Michigan grows in population, we’d be wise to “embrace these ten principles“.

Ten principles of sustainable transport?

1. Walk the walk: Create great pedestrian environments.
2. Powered by people: Create a great environment for bicycles and other non-motorized vehicles.
3. Get on the bus: Provide great, cost-effective public transport.
4. Cruise control: Provide access for clean passenger vehicles at safe speeds and in significantly reduced numbers.
5. Deliver the goods: Service the city in the cleanest and safest manner.
6. Mix it up: Mix people and activities, buildings and spaces.
7. Fill it in: Build dense, people and transit oriented urban districts that are desirable.
8. Get real: Preserve and enhance the local, natural, cultural, social and historical assets.
9. Connect the blocks: Make walking trips more direct, interesting and productive with small-size, permeable buildings and blocks.
10. Make it last: Build for the long-term. Sustainable cities bridge generations. They are memorable, malleable, built from quality materials, and well-maintained.

~ From the “Our Cities Ourselves: 10 Principles for Transport in Urban Life” booklet by the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP)

All of them contribute to livability, but the one standing out for me at this moment is number 10. Are we building infrastructure to last the next 50-100 years? And if we are, are we building the infrastructure that is human centered, multiple use orientated?

What principles stand out for you?

• If you happen to be in New York, you can view the Our cities Ourselves exhibit until September 11, 2010 at the Center for Architecture •

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