Pedestrian Vignettes

A few current projects in P-town

Another community garden is taking shape in Pueblo.  This time--- in The Blocks. Contact Julie Kuhn, Community Garden Coordinator,  to find out how to get involved with an active community garden near you or how to start your own.  Julie Kuhn 719-583-4311 or [email protected]

Julie is a wealth of information and I hope the city/community finds a way to fund her position after September.  Pueblo can not afford to lose her as a resource.  Our community needs this type of development, not only from a healthy living and education standpoint, but also from an urban development perspective.  

 

The Veterans bridge is an important link in the walkability puzzle of downtown Pueblo.  Completion date:  September 2010.  It should be interesting to see how the design comes together.

Caution Children- Urban Design the last 60 years

 

Today I drove around The Blocks in Pueblo.  One of my favorite neighborhoods because of the windy narrow streets, houses placed close together and to the street and all decorated with front porches and many with a view of the Arkansas River and downtown Pueblo.  

I saw this old ice cream truck sitting in the front lawn. The truck, the house and the yard was in such a sad state.  So sad, too, that our neighborhoods no longer have ice cream trucks that frequent them in hot summers.  Where are all the kids?  In the backyard or basement watching TV? Sad, too, that the front lawn is no longer a valued space, but rather a place to park an unused truck. 

As new neighborhoods, like Sunset, Belmont and Aberdeen developed in the 1950s, families moved to these new neighborhoods.  Neighborhoods that had garages, but no detached sidewalks.  Instead of the front porch, families migrated to the backyard.  As newer and newer neighborhoods like El Camino and University Park became the next hot spot, families moved farther away from the center of Pueblo and from The Blocks.   Streets got wider, people got in the their car to most places and well, it was downhill from there.  

Dan Burden’s Popsicle Theory: Can you take a popsicle to your brother or sister from the store to your house before it melts? (http://www.ci.redding.ca.us/devserv/planning/DanBurdenWalkabilityPart2.pdf)

In a well designed walkable community Sophie should be able take a popsicle to Luca before it melts.  Right now, we can't.  The closest ice cream store is about 20 blocks away.  Taffey's.  The closest corner store, Walgreens and Loaf-n-Jug, is 10 blocks away.  Does this theory apply on hot hot Pueble summer days? Maybe a few exceptions to this rule.  

A few other images taken from yesterday in The Blocks. 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

     

 

Park in Bessemer Neighborhood- Ideal spot for a community garden

Today we went to a park in Bessemer, right across the street from the elementary school, and I couldn't help but think this spot would be perfect for a community garden.  Part of the park is used for a playground, but there is plenty of space for a community garden to take root on the south portion.  

Hidden and Under Utilized Saint Mary Corwin Hospital Courtyard

The other day while taking a break on our errand run, my children and I snacked outside of Saint Mary Corwin Hospital.  We sat down in this grassy knoll.  My 3 little ones opted for the shaded steps in front of the Foundation's office. I had hoped to sit on the soft green grass under the tree, but joined my little ones.  I looked out at the picnic benches, the flowers and nice shade structure and couldn't help but ask, "Why are we the only ones here and why in this large hopsital, is no one else outside?" 

While not an expert on urban design or walkability principals, I feel it must be a combination of forces at work to keep this little jewel of Corwin's under used and under utilized.  

A nice little coffee stand would do wonders to increase people using the outdoor area.  Also, a small fountain with soothing sounds for people to relax by on their break would certainly draw people. The door to this courtyard is small and discrete.  Maybe widening the door to make it more inviting to come out would increase use. Lot's of things to look at and perhaps with some adjustments, this spot could become a widely used oasis for Corwin. 

A little wonderful front porch in the Springs

Walking with Luca to a neighborhood coffee shop, Raven's Nest Coffee, we walked past this wonderful little duplex porch.  I love the old worn red cement, the trellis of morning glory, small pathway the leads to the backyard and metal screen doors.  Such a sweet stoup.

Pathways in Mineral Palace Park

I love these little pathways and flower bed borders that make walking and enjoying the flowers so easy and accessible for my children (and others!)  I could imagine benches on the right side of this pathway to allow more people to sit and look at the flowers.  

The flower beds at Mineral Palace Park are beautiful and  a mother takes photos of her little one on a Sunday morning.

 

Annie, snack in hand, wanders the pathways.

 

Look how happy this child is now. It is great to see him so happy because he had an impetigo rash that made him cry all the time. I have followed a few simple stept and we actually got rid of the problem in no time.see how this looks like? really not pleasant is it?> http://www.impetigopictures.org/impetigo-treatment-pictures_8.html

Down by the River

Tonight was one of those nice fresh summer evenings and we wandered on over to the Nature Center.  A folk artist played music written about Colorado and Colorado towns and live'n and the kids played on the banks of the river.  A wedding reception was going on under the canopy and a large adult birthday party gathered on the deck.   A little Fat Tire on the patio of Coyote's Coffee Den was a nice way to wind down the evening.

What to do with a big empty asphalt parking lot?

These kiddos were creative and invented a game!  So happy to see them outside, being active, rather than inside watching TV.  This parking lot goes largely unused 80% of the time.  It would be great to dig up the asphalt and return this area to a more natural state.  

Roundabout Ideas

esterday, we traveled to Boulder and saw these roundabouts on many streets in older neighborhoods. This roundabout design could be implemented in Pueblo on streets like Goodnight/Cleveland, Orman, Colorado and Broadway. 

Blueprint Colorado, Blueprint Pueblo

LiveWell Colorado Built Environment Policy Blueprint Regional Forum met yesterday at Pueblo City County Health Department. Community members and leaders from Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Denver, and Fowler met and discussed they type of built environment they would like to see in their community. People were asked what would be at the top of their wish list. Individuals said they would like more sidewalks, front porches, narrower streets, bike lanes, better and more flexible zoning regulation, the need for City of Pueblo to make it easier to redevelop gray fields, more community gardens on vacant lots, creation of Bessemer Ditch pedestrian and bike pathway, more people walking in the community, more kids playing outside and more money for the transportation department. 

A few individuals lamented the type of development in Pueblo West and one wished he could simply start over in planning the community.  

Agenda included:

Built Environment Policy Blueprint Introduction and Strategy Partners Introduction Presentation • What is the “Built Environment?” • What is a “Healthy Community?” • Statewide statistics Break - Values & Priorties Exercise • What is your favorite place and why? • Visual Preference Activity • What are your priorities that have the biggest impact in your community? Discussion Questions • What are the current opportunities and challenges within your community that support active living? • What forms of collaboration are needed to ensure a Statewide success? • Tell us your success stories/ “best practices” for incorporating healthy living practics into your community. • Who is missing at this meeting? Who would have the biggest impact on reaching your goals? (People listed: Pueblo City Council Leaders and departments heads, hospitals and healthcare professionals, churches, District 60 and 70, & neighborhood leaders and organizations.) Best Practices Discussions/ Key Tools Next Steps & Timeline

What would be at the top of your wish list for the built environment in your community?