Ten years ago this month, I traveled to Europe, more specifically Italy, for the first time. It was fascinating! At the time, cities and planning were of little interest to me. I was just a typical American tourist, taking in the scenes, the art and the culture as best as I could.
In the years following my week in Europe, I think often of the trip, particularly when it comes to urban life.
Growing up in the suburbs, I was accustomed to "commerce zones" or seemingly endless collections of strip malls and automobile dealers that stretched all the way through towns on major thoroughfares. Getting to these commerce zones was no problem.....if you had a car. Today I recognize the lifestyle as being "autocentric" or centered around the automobile.
The past decade I've been truly blessed to witness the urban renewal in St. Louis City and have a 'background' role in participating in the changes. One factor fueling the renaissance within the city is the urban concept of 'walkability' and living streets.
Today while doing research for another blog, http://loftsinthelou.com , I came across a website to assist people in adding to the life of thier cities streets at http://www.livablestreets.com . In witnessing so much revitalization, there have been people involved working block by block to improve the areas by suggesting or adding certain elements to their neighborhood that help in building a better community. LivableStreets.com seems to be a great site to help organize and channel that energy into more productive action. As professionals in the real estate community, whether urban or suburban, working to make our surroundings more "livable" is a win-win opportunity!
Check it out!
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