Online magazine American.com recently published a great article on a new national effort to build more livable, walkable urban environments. The article reviews several efforts by many cities to create more pedestrian friendly environments, as well as creating a bigger menu of options when choosing how to commute and travel. Joel Garreau, journalist and urban planner, offers this insight (albeit in pretty urban planner "wonk" language):

"Too often, urban-planning debates degenerate into false dichotomies: it's either mass transit, which puts commuters at the mercy of train delays and station locations, or the automobile, which keeps people in charge of their own travel but leads to congestion, pollution, and social atomization. Garreau's argument recognizes that the same individuals might prefer different transportation modes at different times and for different reasons. Creating a "monoculture" around any one transportation mode - the one thing that car-centric planners and mass transit enthusiasts seem to agree on - is the real threat to commuter autonomy."

DC's DDOT is highlighted in the article. George Branyan is one of DDOT's point people on improving pedestrian safety, access and choices. Brayan is part of the Mayor's initative (with the full support of Councilmember Wells) to work with communties to build more walkable communities. Noting the growing trend of choosing walkable, mixed-use neighorhoods over sprawling suburbs, Branyan notes:

"It's curious that we now think of places with mixed-use zoning as "innovative." Housing over retail on the main street was the norm for literally hundreds of years until we made them illegal with 'progressive zoning.' Places that allow people to walk to the store, the park, the school, to transit...that was the way all communities were built 60 years ago, and now we call them "innovative.'"

Please join DDOT on Thursday night as they host a citywide public meeting as part of the DC Pedestrian Master Plan.  The meeting will take place on Thursday, May 3, 2007 from 7-8:30 pm at the Columbia Heights Recreational Center, 1480 Girard St. NW.

The plan is part of a process that will examine all aspects of the District's pedestrian environment - from policies to design guidelines to specific safety improvements in some of the city's highest pedestrian crash corridors.  The plan is due to be completed in October 2007 and currently DDOT and its partners are seeking public input through a variety of means including focus groups, an online survey and this citywide meeting.