(1st in a series of posts on sharing your reading)
from Jeff Speck, Walkable City (courtesy of Tony Hanna)
“Walkability is both an end and a means, as well as a measure. While the physical and social rewards of walking are many, walkability is perhaps most useful as it contributes to urban vitality and most meaningful as an indicator of that vitality. . . . Get walkability right and so much of the rest will follow.”
‘The pedestrian is an extremely fragile species, the canary in the coal mine of urban livability.”
“If they are to function properly, cities need to be planned by generalists.”
“What used to be white flight to the suburbs is turning into ‘bright flight’ to the cities.”
“The automobile is not only the single greatest contributor to our total carbon footprint but also a reliable predictor of that total.”
“We are a destructive species, and if you love nature, stay away from it. The best means of protecting the environment is to live in the heart of the city.”
“In most of our nation, the car is no longer an instrument of freedom, but rather a bulky, expensive, and dangerous prosthetic device, a prerequisite to viable citizenship.”
Gadfly invites you to share a few clips of your reading — with or without comment — pertinent to the Gadfly project of conversation about Bethlehem.
