Traditional Neighborhoods vs' Suburbs

1
Traditional Neighborhoods vs. Suburbs

• Residents in high walkable traditional
  neighborhoods report on average 2 more walking
  trips/week than those in low walkable suburban
  neighborhoods
• A 150 pound person in a walkable commuity could
  lose 0.85 to 1.75 pounds in one year, which
  approximates the average weight gain in the US

2
Perceptual Qualities of Place Delightful
Density

• Human Scale
• Linkage
• Definition/Visual Enclosure
• Complexity/Intricacy
• Coherence/Order
• Transparency
• Sense of Place/Identity
• Perceived Safety

3
Improving Social Connectedness and Quality of
Life
Lowly, unpurposeful and mundane as they appear,
sidewalk contacts are the small change from which
a citys wealth of public life may grow. Jane
Jacobs, The Death Life of Great American
Cities There is much more to walking than
walking. Jan Gehl, New City Spaces
4
School SitingConsidering the Health Impacts

• Walkable schools are an important outlet for
  daily physical activity
• Schools as anchors of communities
• Health has not been a major factor in school
  location decisions/policies

5
Activity-Friendly Buildings Which aspects of
design matter?

• Destination points (food service, copy and
  conference rooms) -- how far will we walk?
• Building layout and way finding -- what features
  create movement and interaction?
• Fitness centers and corporate culture
  (walking/standing meetings, management acceptance
  of movement)

Karen Lalli, 2001
6
Living Buildings

• Best practices in site selection, site design
  and building design for public facilities
• Identify/study model sites (before-after studies)
  
• Develop a business case for activity-friendly
  design elements, such as using stairs for
  exercise

Adidas Village, Portland, Oregon
7
Interior Building Design Also Matters

• Spending even 2 more minutes a day going
  upstairs could burn an extra 5800 calories/year
  or 1.6 lbs.

8
(No Transcript)