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July 1, 2004

THE WALKARLINGTON PACER

 

July 1, 2004

“You’ll forget the sun in the jealous sky      
As we walk in fields of gold.”   
 - Sting

What does this verse from the album “Fields of Gold” have to do with Arlington, you might ask? Well, Arlington’s fields of gold may not be of the variety Sting refers to in his song. But pick your time wisely, and it is possible to “forget the sun” on strolls through the many fine neighborhoods, parks, trails and business districts here that ARE “golden” for walking.   With the summer solstice only just behind us, long days make this prime time for early morning and evening walks.  Even one month from now, the days will only be about a half hour shorter! So try not to let the heat curb your enthusiasm for walking; indulge yourself when the sun is low in the sky.  And do check out the official US Naval Observatory sun/moon tables for future walk planning: 

ALSO! On the subject of references to walking in song lyrics, take the newest WALKArlington Quiz, “Whistle While You Walk”  -- you will already be one right answer ahead!

WALKING AND HEALTH  Does a pedestrian-friendly community really contribute to the health of its citizens? You may have caught the debate on the Diane Rehm Show (WAMU) last week. If not, have a listen. Diane’s guests included Reid Ewing of the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland; Lawrence Frank of the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia; Ronald Utt, with the Heritage Foundation and Richard Killingsworth, director of Active Living by Design. 

QUINCY PARK RE-DESIGN?  Pedestrian Advisory Committee chair Peter Harnik has a different idea for what Quincy Park in Virginia Square COULD be. He and fellow members of the Committee to Design Quincy Central Park recently testified before the County Board regarding a more “urban” design modeled on New York’s Central Park. Harnik is also the author of “Inside City Parks,” that looks at data on city parks in the nation’s 25 largest metropolitan areas to determine what works, and what doesn’t.  Read more about the proposal for Quincy Park on the Arlington Connection website.

ORANGE LINE WALKERS   “Thank You” to all those who completed last month’s WALKArlington Pacer survey regarding an expansion of the County’s walking club. Your responses indicated a preference for adding an evening walk, somewhere between 6 and 8 p.m. There wasn’t a lot of concurrence on location; answers ranged from Madison Manor Park in the north to Fairlington in the south. WALKArlington will look at piloting a few evening walks this fall in different locations. Please let us know if you would be interested in helping with the logistics. ALSO: the dates for the fall Orange Line Walkers club have been set; visit http://www.walkarlington.com/go/orangeline.html for more information. 

NEW ON THE WALKArlington WEBSITE!!!

10 EASY STEPS TO WALKING MORE  No more excuses! There are lots of ways to “take the first steps” to burning less fossil fuel and more calories. Here are WALKArlington’s ten suggestions to get the conversation going. Check out our list – then e-mail us your suggestions. We will grow the list as your ideas roll in.

QUIZ  As metnioned above, WALKArlington’s Quiz #3 – “Whistle While You Walk: Songs about Walking” is mostly for fun. Of course in its own way it supports the program’s connection to the arts—but mainly, it’s meant to be as pleasurable as a walk in fields of…you already know the answer to this one! Test your lyrical knowledge, and pick up a few pieces of walking trivia in the process.

IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T NOTICED…

Some WALKArlington website favorites you may not yet have discovered.

"NO WONDER I LIKE TO WALK THERE!"  Ever stop to think why you like to walk in some places and not others? What would YOU consider to be ten or twelve criteria for what makes a city walkable? When you’ve finished assembling your list, go to http://www.walkarlington.com/walkable/ to find out what  Dan Burden, walkability consultant and found of the organization “Walkable Communities,” has to say about this.

SIDEWALK CLOSURES  Arlington policy makes it very clear: any time a public sidewalk is to be closed for construction, an alternate, fully accessible pedestrian route must be established. This may not be a big concern of yours at the moment, but break a leg or find yourself traveling with someone in a wheelchair, and suddenly sidewalk closures become VERY important. Check out our up-to-date list 24/7.

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