With 185 miles of sidewalks within 5.5 square miles, many consider Lakewood to be Ohio’s most walkable city. At Main Street Lakewood, we make a point to promote Lakewood’s walkability in all of our activities, ranging from the Detroit Avenue Streetscape Design to events like Walk+Roll™ Lakewood, scheduled for July 19th. Why? Because walking is not only good for our physical health, it is good for our economic health.

 

While there is no denying the negative impact of the current national credit-based housing crisis, Lakewood's walkability makes us well-poised to take advantage of social and environmental trends for our future economic benefit. Go to mainstreetlakewood.org/development to read The Economic Benefits of Walkable Communities, which notes ties between walkability, housing values, retail sales, sustainability and the “new economy”.

 

Sound familiar?

For example, a California think tank, Collaborative Economics, in a report titled Linking the New Economy to the Livable Communities noted “...the connections between the physical design of communities and dynamic elements of the new knowledge-driven, service-oriented economy. The contemporary economy – with its smaller, decentralized firms – thrives on land use patterns that harken back to the towns of early industrial years, with city centers, corner stores and streetcar suburbs. Walkable downtowns with a mix of restaurants, offices and housing promote interaction. Interaction is key since the new economy thrives on accessibility, networking and creativity.”

 

Pedestrian-friendly communities typically include “...design features… of interconnected, often narrow streets, sidewalks, a mix of residential, retail and office land uses, and features such as street trees, short front yard set-backs, front porches, and rear garages accessed by alleys.”

 

With the economy slowing, gas prices over $3.50/gallon and skyrocketing obesity and diabetes rates, there is no time like the present to promote, protect and enhance the pedestrian-friendly infrastructure of Lakewood. Our residents are our very best advertisers. Celebrate and embrace wonderful, walkable Lakewood!