Patrick Condon’s Rule 3 for sustainable communities: Locate commercial services, frequent transit and schools within a five-minute walk
Fourth of Eight Excerpts
“In our current situation, in which the car is always at hand, North Americans will walk only if it is easier than driving. The break point for walking trips seems to be five minutes, which is enough time to walk approximately one quarter mile, or 400 metres,” writes Patrick Condon in his latest book, Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities: Design Strategies for the Post Carbon World.
“But the five-minute walk rule is meaningless if there is no place to walk to. Many new suburban developments are equipped with walking trails, but while these trails may be used every day by people who are in the habit of walking and jogging for exercise, the average person will use them much less regularly if at all.”
To Learn More:
This is the fourth of eight excerpts published by The Tyee in September/October 2010. To read the complete excerpt, click on How to Get People Out of Their Cars. To download a copy, click here.
Acknowledgment:
The Tyee is an independent publication that is found at www.thetyee.ca It went online in November 2003. According to David Beers, Editor, “We’re dedicated to publishing lively, informative news and views, not dumbed down fluff. We, like the tyee salmon for which we are named, roam free and go where we wish.” Since then, The Tyee has attracted some of the best journalists in B.C. who have broken many important stories.
Posted September 2010