Here’s a nice way to measure your neighborhood: Do you have ten interesting places?
I’ve just begun The Great Neighborhood Book: A Do-it-Yourself Guide to Placemaking by Jay Walljasper — a concise and uplifting guide to making a neighborhood not only worth living in, but worth envying. (I have added it to my “Further reading” page.) Like me, Walljasper envisions a neighborhood as more than a geographic region: it is a place for society, commerce, and beauty. It is a place where people have regular business and see each other often. It is “owned” by the locals.
In the introduction, he suggests an exercise in “zooming in” (my words). First, consider your region: write down the ten most important places you go, places you recommend to visitors. Then, zooming in, consider your city, and write down the ten most important places there — like a park or a neighborhood. Then,
“Zoom in and think about one of these places and try to write down the smaller places that make up the place. For example, if you named the main street as an important place, whate are the little places on that street where you enjoy spending time? You can shop there, of course, but if your main street is truly a good place, you can also sit outside on a bench and talk to your neighbors, get a cup of coffee nearby, and enjoy the passing scene.” (p. 4)
Over lunch, I decided to try this with my own neighborhood. What were the ten most interesting places within walking distance of my house?
First, a note about the above question. I stand firmly by the assertion that a neighborhood’s boundaries are limited by walking distance: you may be able to walk farther than the edge of your neighborhood, but if a place is too far to walk it’s not in your neighborhood. Also, “walking distance” is a fuzzy idea. Researchers on pedestrian behavior have found that most people are happy to walk places within five minutes; farther than that and they start choosing to drive, postpone their trip, or not go at all. Obviously, it reflects average, aggregate behavior, not the behavior of every individual. If we adhere strictly to this, a neighborhood (as a place you walk) will be no larger than a circle one half-mile in diameter: five minutes from center to edge. However, I’m willing to stretch this — if for no reason other than that Fairbanks is mostly not built that way, and I should cut us a little slack.
So, what were the most interesting places within walking distance of my house? I could think of only five:
- Noel Wien Library
- Seoul Gate (Korean restaurant)
- Arctic Bowl (Bowling alley)
- Chena River, especially the waterfront by Lathrop Street
- Denali Elementary School (where my kids enjoy the playground)
Maybe I could go a little farther and include Gambardella’s or McCafferty’s, maybe the fountain downtown. My wife suggests Chartreuse, a new clothing store at First and Wickersham. But those all feel a little out of “my turf” — I don’t feel the same sense of ownership of them and of the streets around them.
In the image at right, note that where I live — near this peculiar triangle bounded by 6th, 8th, and Bonnifield — is about as far as it’s possible to get from all those destinations yet still be roughly “between” them. And the nearest is an eight-minute walk away (unless you count the Chena River, whose nearest point is only five minutes’ walk).
Eight minutes! I once looked at a Census map and discovered that my neighborhood was one of the most densely populated in the Fairbanks area. Why should anybody living in a densely populated neighborhood have to walk eight minutes to reach the nearest point of interest — especially when most people won’t leave their houses on foot for anything over five minutes away? People need reasons to walk: the pleasure of fresh air is not enough. If we have so few reasons to walk around our neighborhood, how are we going to meet our neighbors? and how are we to become neighborly?
So, Fairbanksans: tell me about your neighborhoods. Can you walk to ten interesting places? And what are they?
Lessee, in Ester near my house:
to the north and in the woods–
1) the berry patch
2) the neighbors and their beautiful gardens
I suppose the trails in the woods and along the mine road also count, but I never walk them. Most of my neighbors do, though.
down the hill–
3) the Golden Eagle Saloon
(the Malemute or the Gold Camp is interesting only when it’s open, and then only sometimes)
4) the library
5) Judie Gumm Designs
6) Hartung Hall (quite frequently stuff happening)
along or near the highway–
7) the post office & across the road the gazebo
8) the park (at the outside range of walkable–let’s say summertime walk)
Otherwise I’d say there are no Destinations, as such. Lots of neighbors, though.
I just moved (God willing temporarily) to downtown Palmer, Alaska after my house burned down. I think that what I call my neighborhood changes in the summer. This summer, walking for 30 minutes with little kids on tow will be nice, but right now the thought of taking foot stompy four and five eyar olds out for just five minutes makes me not want to leave the house!
The lack of public parks and green spaces near your home off Bonnifield is a sad reflection of our community planning. We shouldn’t have to move out-of-town like I did to gain green spaces. Us “in-the-hillers” use up the most fuel driving around-it’s not sustainable and a bit hypocritical on my part.
I came up with six places near my house on Birch Hill
1. Birch Hill trails- this could actually be broken into numerous separate favorite places within the boundary
2. The big hill in View Crest- most exciting to bike down- makes me feel like a kid
3. The pond below my house
4. The immediate woods around my house for slow walks and thought- sitting and drinking morning coffee and my most frequent place to look for animal tracks
5. The sleepy subdivision Rd above me-my dog Rev really likes it there so I like it
6. The trail off Wilderness Rd that dogs with people can use in the winter when Birch Hill is closed to dogs
Those are the places that are close to my home.
I have been considering moving closer to my new work place as my drive currently is unpleasantly long. Though we can’t come to know the intimate places near our homes without time and interaction with the neighborhood area, it still might be a useful exercise to attempt when contemplating a move to a new home.
[…] Ten important places […]
I can get to the end of my driveway in 5 minutes.
Hmmmm. Well, let’s see. There’s Nordale Elementary School across the street. The neighborhood tends to use it like a public park after school is out and on the weekends which is nice. I also like the Fairbanks Community Garden at the end of A Street which borders on a little “park”, provided you define “park” as a picnic table and a boat launch. I like to watch the Chena River go by. The place needs a few more sitting around areas.
I used to enjoy walking around my neighborhood, but after more than one close encounter with vicious dogs, I had to give that up.
Oh, Robyn, I’m so sorry about the dogs. Ironically, Walljasper says that becoming a dog-friendly neighborhood will increase sociability, since dog-walking (1) gets people out on the street more and (2) gives them something to talk about. However, I think he must have been writing about well-regulated dogs.
We’re in Anchorage. But with a toddler, a 5 minute limit cuts things close to home. It takes us longer than that for my son to dawdle his way around the block and back to the house.
Turnagain Elementary playground and the woods and fields behind the school are within walking distance if we stretch his crankiness limit a little on the way home.
Carrs Aurora village is a longer walk along side a busier street (Northern Lights Blvd). but I’ll ergo or stroller him up there on a gorgeous summer afternoon. And from there it’s just crossing a large noisy intersection to get to the strip mall that contains Title Wave, etc. At two miles that’s well beyond strolling around our neighborhood though, it’s an outing. Getting there with him in the bike trailer is faster and once we have the bike trailer in the mix we can get to the Earthquake Park and Lyn Ayre Park quickly. But past there I don’t feel like I’m in my neighborhood any more. Again, it’s an outing.
On the dog front, one of my son’s favorite parts of our regular evening stroll in good weather is visiting over the fence with two of our neighbor’s dogs and our regular evening visit to see her dogs has been the source of small conversations of neighborliness.
Within 5 minutes of our house is pretty much nothing anyone would “want” to visit. Given a little more time, and maybe our family on bikes, we can reach Polar Ice and a bike trail leading up to Ticasuk Brown Elementary where we sometimes ride up to play on the playground. We long to live in a neighborhood with sidewalks our kids can bike, scooter, color on with chalk, etc. Alas, those few neighborhoods with sidewalks haven’t had a home big enough for our brood… We keep hoping one day we’ll have a neighborhood with everything… Thanks Paul, great blog!
I live in Hamilton Acres…I can walk to Ajimi Japanese Sushi in 4.5 minutes, the weird Third Street Plaza in 6 minutes, and the Chena River boat launch (40 Mile) in 10 minutes…that’s about it. Not bad- lunch, river and a pedicure in under 20 minutes walking!
From 1556 Luke Street:
1. Walk down to the end of Luke street, where there a place to overlook a gravel pit with lots of waterfowl, and the backside of the border to Noyes Slough, full of birds. 3 min.
2. Walk to Tanana Valley Farmers Market, College Ave, 6 min.
3. Walk to, and in winter, on, Noyes Slough. Many locations, esp along Alaska Way, but also at the end of Westwood way. Much wildlife. 10 min.
4. Walk to and on old College road, by Rivendell, many scenic overlooks and trails through woods. Good reminder of Hobbit-ism. 15 min.
5. Walk to area behind Fairgrounds, dogsled trails. 20 min.
6. Walk to Creamer’s Field, boardwalks, Bird Observatory, and Wanderlake trail for the Wedgewood Hotel. 30 min, but worth it.
7. Walk to Coffee Shop on College and Westwood. 5 min.
8. Walk to Gulliver’s Bookstore, 20 min.
9. Walk to University Library, 30 min.
10. Walk through “George’s” trails. (need permission, and He is a grouch, but his dog is named Josie. Say hello to Josie.) The walks through spruce forest bordering the slough are fine. 10 min. Access from both Luke, cross country, and Westwood, nice trailheads. George lives on Reilly road, sells motorcycles.
Got a great bird list within “walking distance ” of home. Neighborhood full of interesting junk and onery neighbors, always up to something.
Thanks for stimulating the inventory. Makes me realize how blessed I am.
I lived in Fairbanks about 4 years ago and loved it…mostly. Anyway, I find it interesting that most of the places everyone lists are outdoor destinations. I remember living in Fairbanks and some of our favorite spots (although not within walking distance) were Hot Licks, Cafe Alex, Farmer’s Market, Wolf Run, Creamer’s Field, walking trails at Birch Hill, the athletic fields at UAF. Those are the ones that stand out as really good memories. My kids were little while we lived there for 3 years so we spent a lot of time on walks in the summers! I miss May in Fairbanks and will take my kids back someday. They were 2 and 3 when we left so they don’t remember it at all.
Now that we are back in the “lower 48” that seems to have changed a bit. For one thing we are tempted by more shops, activities and general consumerism. If I had to list my top 10 destinations here in Leonardtown, MD I would have to say,
1. The playground at my boys’ school
2. Public library
3. downtown – coffee shop, ice cream, Mexican,
4. The Pub (also downtown but deserves its own acknowledgement!)
5. The Wharf
5. Jazzercise (which I actually started doing for the first time when we lived in Fairbanks!)
6. Target (sad but true)
7. Leonardtown Winery
8.
By the way, we are in a great location and the first 5 destinations are within walking distance from my house! I love that! And we do walk a lot of the time.
Gotta run. Great blog!
I live in Paul’s neighborhood, and I would like to add to, and modify his list. This part of town, like most of Fairbanks, may not have been planned, but there are many summer and winter options within walking distance. The long winters bring out my yearning for sporting events, concerts, good movies, and new reading material or music, while the summers in Fairbanks are filled with long hours of baseball, fishing, walking or running, gardening and yard beautification. All of this is within close walking distance.
Here’s my list of 10
1. The Chena River: the whole stretch along 1st and then 2nd avenue is perfect for viewing wildlife, skipping rocks, or pulling grayling out (with a single, unbarbed hook, of course) Plus, it’s just nice to be around water.
2. Baseball Area: little league and Growden Field. I know not everyone has a boy who plays baseball, and not everyone likes to watch baseball. However the baseballs field have played a huge part in my life and my son’s life. I have loved, for years now, walking to a baseball game, whether it’s my son’s or the Goldpanners, and relaxing while cheering and talking, the late night sun shining down on the beautifully manicure field . . . ahh . . . I can’t wait!!
3. Carlson Center: this place is cool because Fairbanks is a hockey town, and the Carlson Center is one rockin house during a home game. Great place to go at 50 below zero too. Of course I have also seen Don Henley, ZZ Top, Elton John, and (sadly) Gallagher there.
4. Sourdough Fuel: I like to think I am healthier than this store implies, but let me be clear. Walking to a store for a paper and coffee, or sometimes junkfood and a cold drink, is a great occupation of time that takes me back to my childhood. Not because of the junkfood, but because of the journey. Casually noticing yards and houses and flowers. I love doing that. Observations and conversations that occur when walking never take place in a car. And it’s cool to get a pack of M&M’s at midnight, or a fresh paper and 5 a.m.
5. Bike path, different from the river: I love our 2nd Avenue bike path. I love running on it and walking on it. I love the Water Run and the Mosquito Meander, both which use this part of the bike path. It is recently repaved, there are nice benches, and the Red Green Regata is viewed perfectly from this bike path.
6. Two theaters: I’m surprised Paul didn’t mention that, being the thespian he is. FDA’s Riverfront on one end and FST’s Empress theater on the other end make this part of Fairbanks a very entertaining part of Interior Alaska, and they’re both within walking distance.
7. Denali Elementary School: playground and sledding hill. My son and I have spent hours at Denali School playing basketball, sledding on the hill, and even playing on the equipment. This is a great place to walk with young children.
8. Goldstream Cinemas: gotta love pop culture baby! I know movies may be a bit more conventional and contemporary for some people’s tastes, but not mine. I love movies, and I love watching new movies on the big screen with a nice crowd. Walking there sweetens the deal.
9. The neighborhood itself is a great place to take walks. In the winding, asymmetrical streets are many beautiful yards, funky houses, flowering trees, and friendly neighbors that make neighborhood walks very enjoyable.
10. My yard: I like to make my yard be a pleasant place to be, as well as a pleasant sight to see. My favorite things to do in the summer are mow my lawn, plant my garden, improve my grass, grow flowers, trim shrubs, and a bunch of other stuff that (I hope) beautifies the hood.
There’s my list. Hope you are able to rediscover some of these awesome, simple places that exist in the downtown area.
make that a list of 11
11. duh, I forgot to mention the library, with fresh air pumped inside and a nice lawn to boot.
Hello,
This is unrelated to your post, but I was hoping you could help.
My dog got lost on Monday July 28, on Line drive, Fairbanks AK. I’m getting desperate, and I was hoping you could help me find him. Could you please make a post about him so that people will be on the look-out?
His name is Cuzco (pronounced: koos-ko). He has a Grayish-Brown & Black coat with White chest and paws, Drop ears, Brown eyes, a fluffy tail, and a red collar. He normally has long hair but had a haircut, so it’s short except on his tail. He’s medium-small (about 45 lbs) and very friendly. If anybody finds him they can call 907-388-4018 or 954-806-4052. If you send me an email, I can send you his picture.
Thank you!!!!!!