I returned to Chevy Chase this afternoon.  This area is a mix of residential with a strong commercial district along this block of Romany and Duke, which includes a grocery store. My first visit to the neighborhood was on Day 33, though this portion of Chevy Chase reminded me a little more of the Southland Drive area from Day 46, with lots of Cape Cods and large front yards.  I’m surprised by the number of multi-family homes here, especially in the form of four-unit apartment buildings. Most of the buildings here date from the 1950’s, though there were some apparently newer places (for example along Providence near Romany).  Even including the apartment buildings, the housing stock here appears to be in good shape, and I saw indications of number of remodel projects of various scales today.

This area, with its mix of single family, multi family and commercial seems well-suited to walking, but walkability suffers from some really wide corner radii.  This area (like many others) would benefit from some sidewalk bump-outs.  Bump outs shorten the distance between curbs.  This has two impacts.  One is that it forces drivers to take turns more slowly (giving them more time to spot pedestrians and less lethality if they hit us).  The other is that by shortening the amount of road to be crossed, bump-outs lessen the perception of the street at a barrier.  In at least one place, a solid white line is painted with the intent of making the radius smaller, but lines like these seem to be seen as suggestions or outright ignored by drivers.