Episode Summary

  1. Find public space in your community by taking some space back from cars. They'll be fine.
  2. Millennials are driving less in the United States. People are driving less. This implies a future with less cars sold. It doesn't matter how they're powered.
  3. Slow cars down, decrease experience velocity, remember experience velocity is like a golf score the slower humans are moving through your urban space the more people hang out, the more small business grow, the more prosperous your community is.

Another city converts streets for pedestrians only. (4 min read)

Millennials are driving less than previous generations. But driving is still dangerous. (2 min read)

A city reduces it's experience velocity. (2 min read)

Episode Transcript

Hey everyone. I’m Kyle Gulau and on this show, patterns of development, we take less than 10 minutes to deconstruct what's going on in real estate, architecture, and urban planing.

I hope this show provides value by giving you case studies and examples of the work happening in our built world. Through repetition we can figure out if there's any patterns, ideas, thoughts that we can apply in our own backyards.

My goal is to give you that little nugget to make you sound smarter at your next meeting or interesting during dinner conversation.

First up this week, kind of, in my neck of the woods, the midwest of the United States. Chicago's city Council approves new pedestrian streets in west loop.

To quote the article by Ian Achong, "The approval comes after a multi-year $20.3 million project that began in 2015 with the installation of the Fulton Market sign at the intersection with N Halsted Street. The work which concluded in July 2021 included new widened stone and concrete sidewalks, new custom street furniture including benches and bike racks, new drainage, and formalized angled parking..."

The designation of pedestrian streets means, according to city code:

  1. The entire building facade that faces the street must abut the sidewalk or be located within five feet of the sidewalk.
  2. At least 60 percent of the street facing facade between four to ten feet in height must be comprised of clear, non-reflective, glass to allow the visibility of commerce inside.
  3. On lots abutting the street, buildings must have a primary entrance door facing the street, corner entrances are also allowed, this includes entrances to shops, lobbies, or other business.
  4. The following are prohibited on lots abutting the street; drive-through facilities, vehicle sales or services that involve outdoor storage, gas stations, car washes, storage warehouses, and strip mall centers.
  5. No new curb cuts will be allowed, all vehicular entrances must be from an alley as well as any enclosed parking must not be visible from the designated street.

For frequent listeners of the show this follows similar strategies implemented in other cities such as Montreal and Paris.

I was just talking to a friend of mine about the value of public space and how it's so easy to come by when you really examine the amount of space our cars take up.

Which leads to an article by Camille Squires, titled, "Even as they age, US millennials are driving less than older generations."

Younger Americans are driving less, waiting longer to get their drivers license, and opting for public and active forms of transportation.

Now that millennials are the largest generation in the United States, this trend could...maybe should is the right word... should start to impact transportations in strategies.

Not only are millennials driving less, everyone drove less during the pandemic and still traffic fatalities have increased. That's been well documented. There are a of couple ways to help reduce those fatalities. One of the most effective ways reduce speed.

Bannff, Canada's city council has voted to drop the speed limit to 30 km/h through our their core downtown. Mayor Corrie DiManno quoted as saying, "..slower is safer." And of course slower speed of vehicles the decreases experience velocity in public spaces which makes them better for people. Killer Move. Of course it's not enough to just lower the speed limit, the next move is to design/build the streets in ways that actually slow down cars. The expression 20's plenty comes to mind. 10 feet a lane...that's all you need. That smaller, compact space will force drivers to be more cautious and aware of their driving and oh...by the way now you have more space for non-car things. See above.

If Mayor DiManno called me on the phone right now and said, "Kyle, what advice do you have for the mayor? What should I do next?" I'd tell her to start studying the  platforms of Valérie Plante and Anne Hidalgo. Females that ran on slower streets, improving bike infrastructure, pedestrian spaces, all underdogs AND WON.

I don't know Mayor DiManno's political aspirations. Wish her the best.

This leads to our patterns of the week:

  1. Find public space in your community by taking some space back from cars. They'll be fine.
  2. Millennials are driving less in the United States. People are driving less. This implies a future with less cars sold. It doesn't matter how they're powered.
  3. Slow cars down, decrease experience velocity, remember experience velocity is like a golf score the slower humans are moving through your urban space the more people hang out, the more small business grow, the more prosperous your community is.

That's all for this week. Talk to y'all soon.