Archive for the 'Walking' Category

Anyone who knows me or reads my blog knows that I consider walkability very important to both the environment and one’s general health, both physical and mental. According to an interesting post on the AARP website blog that I read recently,  walkable communities also tend to be safer communities. The author, Dan Burden, is the Executive Director of the unities Walkable and Livable Communities Institute.  His thinking is: In a neighborhood where residents barely see each other, how can they look out for each other?

In the post, Burden recounts his visits to gated communities and more open, accessible ones. Contrary to expectation, gated communities, built for seclusion and isolation, are not safer. He explains that “Neighbors in neighborhoods designed for inclusiveness watch over their streets naturally and consistently…They use the sidewalks and trails and open space as more than just a place to pass by in their cars  but rather as a way to connect, and yes, as a way to create natural surveillance of their neighborhoods.”

I have to admit that before reading Burden’s post, I had never thought of walkability as a boon to public safety . It makes a lot of sense, though, and also makes me even more glad that I live and work in Montclair, New Jersey.  

“Let’s go for a walk.” Now that spring is here in earnest, you may find yourself  frequently uttering this phrase. There are many good reasons to go for a walk–to get some fresh air, burn some calories, enjoy the trees in bloom. And, depending on where you live, you can accomplish all of this while actually getting someplace you need to go.

In most of suburbia, walking is a recreational activity and driving is a functional one. In certain towns, though, feet are a  perfectly viable mode of transportation. I am fortunate enough to live in Montclair, New Jersey, where I can walk to the supermarket, the bank and the post office. My teenage sons ride their bikes to school and to their friends’ houses.

As gasoline prices continue to climb, I love that I have a free, non-polluting way to accomplish many of my daily tasks. I suspect that there are many folks who feel as I do. Maybe that’s why, despite a  sluggish economy and a generally weak housing market, Montclair real estate continues to be highly desirable. I’d love to show you around; let’s take a walk.

Here’s a short quiz:  What do the diner, the fast-food drive-thru, the turnpike and the mall have in common? Apparently, these icons of suburbia all had their beginnings in New Jersey. I  learned this bit of historical trivia from an interview with Dr. Richard Jackson published last week on NJ.com.

Jackson is a physician who believes that our environment, specifically suburban sprawl, is making us sick. Born and raised in New Jersey, he remembers when neighborhoods were arranged around downtown: a central area with schools, shops, and religious and civic buildings (towns like Bloomfield, Maplewood and Montclair). At some point however, the American Dream came to mean “getting away from it all.”  Homes were built further and further away from downtown areas, which meant a new dependence on the automobile.

As Americans are driving more and walking less, Jackson claims, we are becoming heavier, which leads to complications ranging from high blood pressure to diabetes. We are also living further from each other – this isolation may well have something to do with the huge increase in diagnoses of depression over the past several decades.

Like any good doctor, Jackson has a cure for what ails us. He prescribes a return to traditional neighborhoods: “We need to stop making the car the first priority in everything we build.” Sounds like a walkable suburb to me.

You’ll be happier living in Montclair than in  most other suburbs – A bold
statement, I know. It’s subjective, but there are in fact, a three key predictors
of happiness -  1. health 2. wealth and 3. social connectedness.  Because of its  street layout, design and diversity of housing  Montclair offers  opportunities to foster all three.  Here are some examples.

• Many parks and sports facilities where you can exercise and meet people.
• Places to walk and bike to.
• Streets with sidewalks so you can interact with other walkers.
• Mixed-use and diverse housing styles/prices – from thrifty to extravagant.
• Good public transportation so you don’t always need to take your car.
• Small, owner operated businesses – where they know you by name.
• Lots of cultural venues for music, art and entertainment
• A certain density of population so you don’t feel isolated

I’m sure there are some die hard cul-de-sac fans out there as well as few Office Max aficionados.  So for those of us whose suburban dream is a three car garage and good access to the mall, I propose that Montclair may not be a good fit.  There’s always Mt. Olive though.

As a New Jersey Realtor, I am a member of the National Association of Realtors, and I regularly read its publications. Recently I came across one that I found interesting and worth sharing.

In March of this year, the National Association of Realtors commissioned a market research firm to conduct a survey regarding Americans’ housing and community preferences.  Over 2,000  randomly selected adults took part in this updating of a 2004 survey. In both cases, a significant portion of adults indicated that living in a community where they could walk to shops was either “important” or “very important.”

The economy  has seen big ups and downs over the past seven years, and people’s housing priorities have changed in certain areas. I was interested to see that 66% (two-thirds) of the adults  polled this year said that being within an easy walk to places in their community was important to them.

Clearly, walkable suburbs are still seen as very desirable places to live. I’d love to show you some of New Jersey’s finest.

Walkablilty makes no sense unless we have somewhere interesting to walk to. Walking around the neighborhood in loops is only valuable if you’re looking for an exercise regimen. Destination walking is where it’s at and shops, stores and restaurants are at the top of the list. Have you ever tried to find parking in downtown Montclair on a Friday or Saturday night? Well, it takes some strategic planning to score a prime spot across from your favorite haunt. Imagine those lucky ducks who just stroll out their front door, walk a few blocks and BAM!- they’re in the hub of Montclair’s dynamic restaurant scene with 130 of New Jersey’s most fabulous places to eat.

Well guess what? It turns out commercial real estate benefits from walkability too.  Not that I’m surprised.  According to The Harvard Business Review, an increase of 10 points in walkability out of a score of 100 increases the value of the property by 9%.  What does this say to me?  That houses and retail have a symbiotic relationship and it’s good when they’re not too far away from each other.

Montclair NJ is a great example of how well this works.  Montclair has 5 thriving business districts all of which are nicely nestled among our neighborhoods.  From north to south there’s Upper Montclair Village, Watchung Plaza, Walnut Street, Montclair Central and South End Village. If you live in Montclair, what restaurant do you walk to?

In this CDC-sponsored video the narrator says “(walkable communities) are no longer a fairy tale – they’re a reality”.  I had to laugh! it’s like the government just stumbled upon this concept.  In towns like Montclair and Maplewood NJ the layout of the town has been conducive to walking for the last 100 years.  In the 1920s and 30s cars were a luxury so sidewalks were mandatory.  Shops and schools had to be within walking distance.  And train stations were a necessity. The narrator then says “walkable communities are the wave of the future”.  I wonder if she knows they’ve been here all along.

Relaxing in Essex County's Brookdale Park

It’s unusually cold for this time of year, but since it is in fact April, I assume that we’ll see warmer weather soon. For me, that means more time outdoors, specifically in Brookdale Park.

I’ve been going to Brookdale Park since my kids were babies: I spent many afternoons pushing their strollers along the paths and later helped them navigate the equipment on the two playgrounds. Several years later, I found myself at the park again, cheering them on from the sidelines of the soccer and softball fields with fellow Montclair moms.

My kids have moved on to other activities, but I still love the park. Whenever I get a chance, I meet a friend for some tennis (there are 11 courts). I  also love the art shows held there in spring and fall, as well as the free summer concerts and July 4th fireworks. Note to gardeners: there are dozens of  different species of roses in the gorgeous rose garden.

Brookdale Park was designed by the Olmstead brothers, who also designed New York City’s Central Park. Since I grew up in the city and spent a lot of time in Central Park when I was young, I really feel right at home here.

On September 14, the Star-Ledger ran an article about electric car charging stations; Montclair is one of four towns in New Jersey that received a grant from Walmart to install them. I have mixed feelings about these stations. On one hand, electric cars reduce our dependence on foreign oil, so anything that makes them more convenient to drive is probably a good thing. On the other hand, electricity itself is often derived from non-renewable fossil fuels, so generating it still pollutes the environment.

There is, however, a form of energy that is safe, cheap, and absolutely clean: human kinetic energy (walking). For families with school-aged children, October is International Walk to School Month; next Wednesday, October 6, is International Walk to School Day. This was started in 1997 by the Partnership for a Walkable America and quickly grew into a nationwide movement. There are so many benefits to walking to school: less gasoline used, safer and less congested streets, more fresh air and exercise, even an increased sense of community. Of course, walking to school isn’t always feasible, but if you can do it, why not give it a try? Let me know how it goes!

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal,

“Today’s home buyers aren’t just looking for good schools and low crime rates when they evaluate a neighborhood, many brokers say. They’re paying much more attention to what they can walk to.” (emphasis added)

The growth of walkability as a desirable quality comes from homebuyers who want to avoid traffic as much as possible, and may also be looking forward to a day when gas prices get too high. Aging boomers buying homes to retire in and younger couples buying their first homes are both starting to look for the same easy proximity to town restaurants, shops, and activities.

This is why the towns I work in are so popular, and why I focus on the benefits of walkability when buying or selling homes. Though walkability depends on a number of factors - traffic patterns, topography – I have found that buyers are more and more looking to be within walking distance of things to do, and are willing to pay more for it.