To encourage you to participate in the last Walkable City book club meeting, tomorrow evening (Walkable City final book club November 8), some thoughts about the two steps in the ‘The Interesting Walk’ section (page 235 of the 10th Anniversary Edition).

Step 9: Make Friendly and Unique Faces

This step has five points: Invisible Parking, Sticky Versus Slippery Edges, Attack of the Starchitects, Too Much of a Thing, and Boring Nature. In invisible parking, Speck says structured parking should not be visible to people walking, but tucked away behind interesting buildings that draw in people walking. Of the parking garages in Sacramento, some are indeed hidden away, underground in some cases (good visually, but way too expensive to build), and behind commercial businesses in others. Other garages are glaringly obvious, presenting long stretches of sameness that discourages people walking, no matter how they go there (including the people who drove). Sticky edges have interest and variety, slippery edges are long stretches of sameness, often entire blocks where each foot look identical. Though thankfully Sacramento has less of the bland (I intended to type blank, but then, bland fits) than many cities. Government buildings are often the worst offenders. Walk along the north side of J Street between 14th and 15th Street, and you will know just how bad this can be. Starchitects is about cities selected star architects, who tend to design buildings that are interesting or beautiful, but have absolutely no connection to their surroundings. Too much is about how large developments look too much the same along their street faces, or if they do no, have fake variety. The solution is many buildings with a smaller face, built at different times by different developers (see Encouraging Fine-Grained Development by Andrew Price for an introduction). And finally, too much nature, in the city, can be just as boring as a suburb. We need small parks within walking distance of everyone, and of course we need street trees. But large expanses of park within city boundaries make for a less interesting place to walk, and push destinations further apart. An example it Land Park. It is wonderful, but it is just too much of a good thing. The park is mostly empty most of the time, and the parts that are more used are the zoo and Fairytale Town, the non-park parts of the park.

Step 10: Pick Your Winners

This step includes four points: Urban Triage, Anchors and Paths, The Lessons of LoDo, and Downtowns First. Urban triage means to focus effort and investment on places where it will make a big and immediate difference. Not places that are doing just fine, and not places that are hopeless, but places that can use a little help. This is not the Sacramento way. Anchors and paths means connecting two successful places that are close together but have an unwalkable or uninviting barrier between them, by fixing the walkability over short distances. The lessons of LoDo (lower downtown in Denver) is that an initial core of walkability and interest can spark transformation over a larger area. In LoDo, it was a brewery, and then restoration of the train station, and the area is now many square blocks that are largely successful. I’ve spent time there, and it is great, particularly the station. And focus on downtown means to not spread out investments everywhere in hopes they may make some difference, but rather on downtown where things are sort of good and have an existing structure of decent or historical old buildings (good bones is the common expression).

Part III: Update to the 10th Anniversary Edition

All of the book up through Step 10 is essentially unchanged since publication in 2012. The update section which follows Step 10 (page 263) goes into depth on several issues, addresses new trends over the 10 years, corrects some mistakes (particularly as it related to bicycles), and has a fascination section on responsibility for urban planners. Well worth a read, though there is anything directly related to these last two steps of the original book.

Book Club

What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Have a different vision, or a different approach? Come to the book club to listen to others and share your ideas. You do not need to have read this section of the book to participate, though you may enjoy it more if you have.

The Sacramento area book club gathering for Walkable City by Jeff Speck continues on the second Wednesday of November, October 8, 6:00PM to about 7:30PM, at Lefty’s Taproom, 5610 Elvas Ave, Sacramento. This will be the last meeting of the book club on this book.

The book section for this gathering is ‘The Interesting Walk’, with Step 9: Make Interesting and Friendly Faces and Step 10: Picking Winners. The 10th Anniversary Edition also contains supplementary material updating these chapters.. The Sacramento Public Library has a copy of the 10th Anniversary Edition (2022) and the original edition (2012). Local bookstores may have a copy on hand, but if not, can order it in few days. It is also available as an Amazon Kindle e-book and Audible audio book.

You do not need to have attended a previous book club gathering. If it is your first time, welcome! You also do not need to have read the relevant sections of the book, but you will probably enjoy the conversation more if you have. Previous participants have included transportation and housing professionals, but also just interested citizens. We want you, we want your voice and ideas! We realize that some people have a hard time getting somewhere at 6:00 sharp after work or other obligations, so come when you can, and jump in.

An Eventbrite event has been set up to let us know you are coming: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/copy-of-walkable-city-jeff-speck-book-club-tickets-752991326327. However, a ticket is NOT required, you can just show up. Getting a ticket helps us plan, and provides the ability to have it entered on your calendar, so you don’t forget, but please come in any case.

Lefty’s Taproom has a wide selection of beer, and some wine and cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks. They also have a variety of dinner items. You are not required to drink or eat, but it does help support our venue. We meet outside on the patio, so come dressed appropriately. Sunset will be at 5:05PM that day. There is bike parking at the front entrance. Lefty’s is a 10 minute walk from SacRT route 30, or a 30 minute walk from SacRT Gold Line light rail. There are good bicycle facilities on Elvas, but not necessarily on streets connecting to Elvas.

See previous posts: Walkable City book club October 11, Walkable City book club: Step 5: Protect the Pedestrian,, Walkable City book club next, Walkable City Book Club.

The Sacramento area book club gathering for Walkable City by Jeff Speck continues on the second Wednesday of October, October 11, 6:00PM to about 7:30PM, at Lefty’s Taproom, 5610 Elvas Ave, Sacramento.

The book section for this gathering is ‘The Comfortable Walk’ (page 211), with Step 7: Shape the Spaces and Step 8: Plant Trees. The 10th Anniversary Edition also contains ‘More Comfort’ (page 345). The Sacramento Public Library has a copy of the 10th Anniversary Edition (2022) and the original edition (2012). Local bookstores may have a copy on hand, but if not, can order it in few days. It is also available as an Amazon Kindle e-book and Audible audio book. The last gathering will be Wednesday, November 8, and will cover ‘The Interesting Walk’ (page 235), with Step 9: Make Friendly and Unique Faces and Step 10: Pick Your Winners.

You do not need to have attended a previous book club gathering. If it is your first time, welcome! You also do not need to have read the relevant sections of the book, but you will probably enjoy the conversation more if you have. Previous participants have included transportation and housing professionals, but also just interested citizens. We want you, we want your voice and ideas! We realize that some people have a hard time getting somewhere at 6:00 sharp after work or other obligations, so come when you can, and jump in.

An Eventbrite event has been set up to let us know you are coming: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/walkable-city-jeff-speck-book-club-tickets-728394807477. However, a ticket is NOT required, you can just show up. Getting a ticket helps us plan, and provides the ability to have it entered on your calendar, so you don’t forget, but please come in any case.

Lefty’s Taproom has a wide selection of beer, and some wine and cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks. They also have a variety of dinner items. You are not required to drink or eat, but it does help support our venue. We meet outside on the patio, so come dressed appropriately. Sunset will be at 6:35PM that day. There is bike parking at the front entrance. Lefty’s is a 10 minute walk from SacRT route 30, or a 30 minute walk from SacRT Gold Line light rail. There are good bicycle facilities on Elvas, but not necessarily on streets connecting to Elvas.

See previous posts: Walkable City book club: Step 5: Protect the Pedestrian,, Walkable City book club next, Walkable City Book Club.