One of the things I missed when I moved to Sacramento from the bay area was the ability to walk to most of my shopping centers or to easily take public transportation wherever I wanted to go. Being more densely populated, the bay area was built to accommodate walking, riding a bike or taking the bus. There are more restaurants and stores mixed within the housing communities so it's more convenient to walk or take the bus than to drive a car and try to find parking. Foot traffic brings business to local merchants and walking, riding bikes or taking the bus is much less expensive than driving a car. Safer too.
Sacramento was built around farms and orchards. It is more spread out. People have more room, but tend to be less inclined to using public transportation or walking to their destinations. Instead we drive everywhere. We drive to big shopping centers, we drive to eat and drive through to pick it up too. Makes me think of the people in the movie, Wall-E, where everything was automated and everyone sat in chairs that floated around to take them to their destinations.
My grandmother used to travel all over the place to do her shopping and run errands well into her 80's after she stopped driving. She lived in Carmichael, CA, which is connected to Sacramento and has neighborhoods that are close to shops and cafes and other services. So she got out and walked and took the bus for years. It IS possible. Hopefully now that "green living" is the in thing, our city planners will make changes that will enhance the public transportation and development of communities that are more suited to foot traffic and better health.
There are communities in Sacramento that are more walkable than others. Not only is walking good for the heart, it's good for the environment. It's nice to get out and greet people. Know your community.
A study in Washington State found that the average resident of a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood weighs 7 pounds less than someone who lives in a sprawling neighborhood.1 Residents of walkable neighborhoods drive less and suffer fewer car accidents, a leading cause of death between the ages of 15–45.
Want to get an idea of how walkable your Sacramento neighborhood is? Check out this site: WalkScore.ccom
Walk Score also shows public transit locations in Sacramento where public Google Transit Feeds are available.
Is your neighborhood making you fat? Definitely something to consider when deciding where you want to live. Before you purchase your next home, check out the neighborhood to see how walkable it is. What shops are close by? How often can you get to shops, local cafes or coffee shops and interesting places, without using your car. It will not only benefit your health but will also be good for the environment.
Photo from flickr.com
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