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Walkabout: The Technology of Strolling |
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Dr. Samuel Says -
Smart Design
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Written by Dr. Samuel Centralia, Ph.D., D.D.S., Esq.
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Thursday, 26 July 2007 |
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I have learned, over these many years, to cultivate a keen distrust
automobiles and the urban motorway system. Having done some contract
work in Detroit during the 1980s, I can assure you that the auto
industry has the same ultimate priority as any industry. Safety and
environmental issues take a back seat to profitability, always. No
side-impact airbags in that backseat, either. I once spent a charming
afternoon with Lee Iacocca, after which I possessed an enormous new
respect for the ruthlessness and cunning of our species' reptilian
brain stem.
 Matters have improved since the 1980s, to be sure, but I still prefer to minimize my participation with the lethally dangerous, shamefully inefficient, toxically polluting modern automobile. I'll concede that the new Ford Mustangs are cool, though.
Anyhoo, I've come to rely upon biking and public transportation when in urban areas; quantum foam teleportation otherwise. And, of course, that most traditional and pedestrian (heh) of transportation modes -- walking. Several vigilant correspondents this week forwarded me the link to the Walk Score website. Just type in your work or home address, and the site returns a number, from 1 to 100, indicating the relative "walkability" of your neighborhood. The Walk Score site, which is affiliated with the Seattle-based environmental think thank Sightline Institute , uses Google Maps to locate nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. The patent-pending algorithm is fairly simple, for now, using "as the crow flies" distances. It also does not take into account other walkability factors such as street layout, intervening freeways or bodies of water, and public transit.
It's a great idea, though, and certainly a step in the right direction. (It's not my fault, these puns just keep happening.). The website outlines the many benefits of a walkable neighborhood -- healthier citizenry, reduction in greenhouse gases, and stronger local microeconomies. If you have room on your gadget-laden utility belt, consider clipping a pedometer there, next to the iPod and cell phone. These can be surprisingly motivational, calculating your distance and calorie burning automatically. Also, check out this pedometer hack for Google Maps. Who knew walking could be so delightfully geeky?
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