We will start by asking why walkability is desirable: most communities support the concept of walkability as a matter of course, but this commitment can waver in the face of countervailing pressures from entrenched interests. You will learn the most powerful economic, epidemiological, and environmental arguments for making a sustained investment in walking, biking, and transit.
The central segment of the course will focus in great depth on the following ten strategies for making better places: Put Cars in Their Place; Mix the Uses; Get Parking Right; Let Transit Work; Protect the Pedestrian; Welcome Bikes; Shape the Spaces; Plant Trees; Make Friendly and Unique Faces; and Pick Your Winners.
Jeff Speck has completed fifteen Walkability Studies over the past fifteen years, and will show you how to complete such plans in your communities.
Finally, you will get some hands-on experience. The nearby City of Somerville has been working on the redevelopment of neighborhoods surrounding new rail stations on the MBTA’s planned Green Line extension. One of these neighborhoods has had its design delayed due to utility issues, but, soon, it will be time to make new proposals. City of Somerville planning staff, led by chief planner George Proakis, will join the class for a half-day mini-charrette, during which you will visit several locations in Somerville and return to the classroom to design possible solutions by applying the walkability principles you have learned.
