Category All Art Classes Classical Music Concerts DANCE Etc Exhibits Families Farmers Markets Film Happenings Holiday Holiday Lectures Music (non-classical) Theater

Submit events

PHOTO BY MEGHAN ERKKINEN

EXPERT WALKER. Dan Burden, director of the organization Walkable Communities, performed two “Walkability Audits” in Tacoma to see just how pedestrian-friendly the city is. His conclusion is that Tacoma has low to moderate walkability, but has great potential.

Expert examines Tacoma’s walkability

By Meghan Erkkinen

What’s one of the most important things you can do to better your community? According to Dan Burden, director of Walkable Communities, it’s to make your town a more pedestrian-friendly, walkable place.

The city of Tacoma invited Burden to perform two “Walkability Audits” – one at the University of Washington’s Tacoma campus and the other in the St. Helens neighborhood – to see how the city could improve its pedestrian thoroughfares.

Burden had plenty of suggestions. He suggested widening sidewalks, putting more “eyes” on the street in the form of lighting and large windows, and improving crosswalks. In some places, he suggested roundabouts – which slow traffic and make crossing safer for pedestrians – and on-street parking, which creates a buffer between pedestrians and traffic.

The proximity of dwelling units to amenities like stores and parks is important for walkability, Burden added.

The city should plan for pedestrians, he asserted.

“All towns designed for people are great towns,” Burden said in a lecture May 12. “All towns designed for vehicles suck.”

Building a better town is easy, he said. All planners need to do is throw away the rulebooks.

“By using common sense you can build a great city or community,” he said. “There’s a difference between following a cookbook and following your heart.”

Walkable towns are livable and sustainable, he added. They are more economically viable and people are generally happier.

“It’s the one form of transportation that brings people back together,” he said. “There’s been no other form of transportation that does that.”

Diane Wiatr, an urban planner and Commute Trip Reduction Coordinator for the city of Tacoma, invited Burden not only to examine the city’s successes and challenges, but to raise awareness.

“One of the things I’m interested in is looking at walkability, but also encouraging walking trips,” she said. “It’s a start to encourage people to walk on those trips where it’s reasonable to do so.”

The city is currently involved in planning efforts to revitalize the downtown area, and UWT is working to develop a master plan. In addition, both are looking for ways to reduce the number of miles people travel through the downtown area in single-passenger vehicles.

Beginning in the fall, the city will begin an effort to try to get people into mass transit and onto the sidewalks. Burden’s suggestions will help the city focus its planning efforts on problem areas.

One of Burden’s gifts, according to Wiatr, is his ability to look at an intersection and immediately see the possibilities.

“These streets have been here for 100 years and we tend to see them as they’re sitting here,” she said.

Based on his two audits, Burden rated the city as having low to moderate walkability, but was optimistic for the city’s future.

“The potential for walkability in Tacoma is very high – almost off-the-charts high,” he said. The city’s high population density, solid block design and on-street parking availability are some of its greatest assets when it comes to walkability.

With “a little time and a lot of leadership,” Burden said, “it could become a good, walkable community I think within five years.”

Wiatr felt similarly, and said she was looking to the future.

“I think the bones of the city is really good as a walkable community,” Wiatr said. “There are some areas that need improvement…but we have a great deal of traditional infrastructure that really is great so we have a stepping off place for making improvements.”

Story Tools