BYRRGowen, however, exposes something called Walkability, to enhance the health options of the local populace. There is, as she tells us a whole science to this. Planner of the past, she said, underestimated the value of walking. Its like telling people who cannot afford a car that they are better off without one. Then you have the Walking Score (Im not making this up, I swear!) based on accessibility to restaurants (if people in the barrios can afford to go to one), retail, parks, schools, libraries, etc. Based on this score, Gowen strives to make the point that whole economies are based on the ability to walk places. This increases housing values, the wealth generated by using bicycles, and the flourishing economy of walking-friendly Vermont. Grandma, she suspects, would have loved to live in a city with high Walk Scores for generations. Good luck in most neighborhoods in the city where sidewalks were often deleted from the plans by developers to save money. In fact, the county is still debating the point of whether to include sidewalks for new subdivisions. I dont say this to ridicule Ms. Gowen. Im sure she has the best for all of us in mind. But next time I see some old man or lady dodging traffic walking up Southmost toward town to a Social Security appointment or in some colonia children fending off stray dogs walking down the middle of a caliche road, I will remind myself of the beauty of walking and wont deprive them of the pleasure by offering them a ride and thereby contribute to the destruction of their health.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 02:14:33 +0000
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