Day 130 was a return to the Meadows neighborhood, near Bryan and New Circle Road, that I last visited last July, on Day 18. My impression of the area, having walked through on a cool, wet late fall day and a hot July day, is the same. This area shows some wear, but there are definite bright spots, freshly painted houses or yards that show evidence of life, toys or carefully curated landscaping. I really walked down two blocks, and the block length stood out. As I passed a long line of similar looking houses, I pondered the characteristics of a neighborhood. The neighborhoods in which I grew up consisted of a funky mix of houses, apartments, small stores, and community buildings like schools and churches. These things were all marbled together, so that there were, for example, two small grocery stores within a quarter mile. These neighborhoods had a sense of identity that was based around these local places and years later I could talk to someone about the supermarket with the pet name o a particular laundromat and they would know exactly what I was talking about. Technology–cars–have allowed us to broaden our range. We can work further away and this expands our opportunities. But neighborhood design that followed forced us to rely on cars for things that were typically provided in the neighborhood and has weakened that set of social bonds.
Tag Archives: Highland Park
Day 18
Today’s walk was through a neighborhood officially called “The Meadows”, located between Loudon and New Circle Road, behind the industrial/ commercial area along Winchester Road. Much like yesterday’s walk, there was perhaps a bit more stimuli than normal. Lots of smells (soapy smells, cleansers) and sounds came out of houses, leading me to think this neighborhood has a higher daytime population than most neighborhoods I walk through. Visually, this neighborhood feels a little distressed, especially on non through streets. In places sidewalks and even driveways are completely falling apart. This led me to wonder, who is responsible for sidewalk repairs? It turns out it is the homeowner. This was a bit of a disappointment to me, though I can’t say it doesn’t make sense somewhat; I liked the idea of the sidewalk being the city’s responsibility because that would mean that sidewalks on long cul-del-sacs unevenly benefitted the people living there. The drawback of having it as a homeowner responsibility is that a lightly tread patch of sidewalk is unlikely to be repaired, even if it is providing a benefit to someone down the street.
Sometimes it’s subtle things that make walks interesting. Today, I walked past a house with a fence that had become warped in an unusual way because of a tree growing next to it, and it was oddly pleasing to me.
What works: Limited (if any) neighborhood design enforcement makes this interesting
What doesn’t: Sidewalks, in some places. I love them, but I think there may be places here where they don’t provide enough value.