Where did the Sidewalks Go?

24/7 Pace of Life Bad for the Soul?

During the 60s and 70s developers quit putting in sidewalks. I ask, "what happen to the Sidewalks?" I grew up in a neighborhood with sidewalks, but its very common now to not have sidewalks at all. Today, developers are trying to recover them, but we went through a whole phase when we didn't have sidewalks. What does that say, what does that speak too, why??

What is a sidewalk?

A Sidewalk is shared space.

A Sidewalk is something that connects us.

A Sidewalk is something that makes us neighbors.

Sidewalks are for WALKING, very little of that is being done. If your on a sidewalk it means your outside. All of these things have begun to fade away in our modern culture. The absence of sidewalks screams of INDIVIDUAL, ISOLATION, and INACTIVITY; all which are bad. We don't want to be connected, we don't want to have neighbors, we don't want to share, it speaks of our impatience.

Come on be honest who walks anymore, we want to get there at 70mph. We can't walk, who walks.

LIVING BEHIND THE GATE

Are gated communities really safer? I say no, gated communities are not any safer than non-gated communities. Although vandalism and smash-n-grab incidences are relatively lower in gated communities, home burglaries and car theft incidences are about the same. This definitely underlines the oft-cited sense of security value concept that real estate developers hobnob about. People are willing to shell out extra cash for that sense of protection that they are safe in their little haven even though they really aren’t.

I have always lived in non-gated communities. My personal experiences tell me that the gates were only a psychological barrier in the minds of the residents and not the potential criminal. In most communities, visitors could mention any random condo number or name that we were supposedly visiting and the guard would let you in. Others are controlled by access codes that any Tom, Dick, and Harry seem to know. Pizza delivery guys, Fedex/UPS delivery employees, local Chinese takeout guys, etc know the code and the codes rarely changed. Anyone could easily tailgate their way in if they were quick enough and if you could not, residents usually offer their card just because you're blocking their way.

Gated communities thus offer only a sense of security that doesn’t seemingly exist. So what do gates do? They slow down cars, make it hard to visit people, and cost you additional association fees.

What really matters.
What matters in terms of neighborhood safety is who's living there: Are residents looking out for their neighbors?(THIS IS ANOTHER ISSUE LIVING BEHIND THE GARAGE DOOR) Are they taking responsibility? If it's a rental community, is there professional management? Are renters being screened for criminal records?

My suggestion
Get out from behind your garage door and meet your neighbors. Spend time being part of the community that you live in. Surprise some people, sit in your driveway and say Hi to people who pass by.......

Creative Collision

Creativity is not an on/off switch. If you are not creating a habit of constantly soaking in creative inputs, you can’t be surprised when the well is dry when you go looking for a new idea. Step outside and take in new things. The greatest creativity comes when two unrelated thoughts, ideas, inputs collide. That means looking outside of your walls, looking at things from different perspectives … become a sponge. This includes people, look at the fringes, engage in those who have different interests than you.

LIVING BEHIND THE GARAGE DOOR

Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density, auto-dependent development on rural land, with associated design features that encourage car dependency; LIVING BEHIND THE GARAGE DOOR.

Just comments on urban Sprawl:

Residents of sprawling neighborhoods tend to emit more pollution per person and suffer more traffic fatalities.(drive everywhere)

Sprawl is also linked with increased obesity since walking and bicycling are not viable commuting options.(car, garage, car, garage)

Urban sprawl may be partly responsible for the decline in social interaction in the United States. Compact neighborhoods can foster casual social interactions among neighbors and local store owners, while sprawl creates barriers. Sprawl tends to replace public spaces with private spaces such as fenced-in backyards.(drive though the gate, into the garage)

Another great Urban Street Performer.....

Another great Urban Street Performer in Santa Monica, just drums.

Urban Street Performers

Last week when I was in Santa Monica, CA I saw the greatest urban street performance in my lifetime. The guy didn't sing, didn't play an instrument, he didn't even dance. Actually, he just sat there and played records.

This is what modern mixed-use shopping centers like, Mercato in Naples, FL, are missing. Developers have created the urban downtown look with small open spaces and residential living above commercial units. They fail to create a true urban environment because they lack day to day retail stores like grocery, haircut, gas, and cheap eats. In my opinion, these new mixed-use urban shopping centers lack one major thing; Urban Street Performers. Nothing brings a street alive like live unfiltered street performances. These people are usually raw talent and doing what they love.

Sitting in the street spinning records because you can...I like that!