Pedestrians: Now Playing on Broadway

Today's New York Times features an article about the incredible new plan to convert New York City's oldest and greatest boulevard into an esplanade for walking and bicycling. It won't quite match what Seoul accomplished (by far the world's most impressive example of a highway to esplanade conversion in the heart of a major city), but will still be amazing to see. A New Haven Safe Streets Coalition supporter asks here: could this be a model for our state?

The City of New Haven, in partnership with Yale and HSNP Architects, received awards for redesigning New Haven's Broadway as a beautifully landscaped, more pedestrian-friendly zone in the mid-1990s. Although quite significantly improved from what was there before, at least aesthetically speaking, the area still suffers from highly problematic (many would say nonexistent) bicycle access, even though it represents the primary west to east route through all of Downtown New Haven. It also has been plagued by speeding traffic rushing around the bend near York Street leading into Elm, which has on several occasions led to serious injuries among local pedestrians and will no doubt result in more until the street configurations are modified. The incredibly wide stretch of Elm Street from Broadway to State is particularly worrisome, but significant pressure on the city and state - perhaps coming from neighboring institutions and employers like Yale and New Alliance Bank - will be needed to influence the Connecticut DOT to allow major changes.

In order to make the area truly walkable and bikeable, which would result in a massive increase in property values and retail sales in the district, traffic speeds along this street (and the section of Whalley Avenue leading into it, in particular) must be strictly moderated to 15-20mph through improved design. Perhaps it is time to bring Jan Gehl to New Haven's Broadway?

Farmington Canal Greenway Gets Rolling

According to this report in the New Haven Register, the City of New Haven has bid out Phase 3 of the Farmington Canal Greenway, which will connect from the trail's current end on Shelton Avenue up to the Hamden border. Simultaneously, Hamden has now begun construction on its last remaining section, which runs from Hamden High School to the New Haven border. This means that the linear park should be largely completed by mid-2009, providing a continuous off-road walking and bicycling trail from Downtown New Haven running about a dozen miles into Cheshire and then (with a few remaining gaps) a total of 84-miles to Northampton, Massachusetts. Now, if only the thing would show up on Google Maps.

Phase 4 of the trail, which is currently in design, will run from the current trailhead on Hillhouse avenue to Canal Dock Road on the New Haven Harbor. Yale University has done incredible work paving, lighting and maintaining the first half of the section of trail running through its campus, from Prospect to Hillhouse Avenue (also soon to be the home of two fantastic pedestrian bridges), and has provided close to a million dollars to complete the portion of Phase 4 which runs through another block or so of its campus.

Thanks to the design and site planning of Diana Balmori and Cesar Pelli, the multi-use trail helps provide a stunning setting for Yale's new Malone Engineering Center (see photo). Hopefully Mack Scogin and Merrill Elam's new Yale University Health Services building, which is under construction just a block up the street, will have a similar relationship to the adjacent path.

Trail greenways like the Farmington Canal have a massive impact on the local environment and economy. According to the National Association of Realtor's 2002 Consumer's Survey on Smart Choices for Home Buyers, trails ranked as the second most important community amenity out of a list of 18 choices. Studies have shown that trail proximity adds about 10% to the value of homes and that homes adjacent to greenways sell much more quickly. In an era when only 10% of children walk to school, these trails are also critical resources to promote recreation and public health. More Greenways are planned to connect with Downtown New Haven over the coming years: the Harborside Greenway running from Lighthouse Point (and points beyond) around New Haven Harbor to West Haven will connect with the Fair Haven and West River waterfront trails. All four of New Haven's rivers (counting Morris Creek) will then be connected to one another by a system of "green" biking and walking routes, essentially enabling any resident to get anywhere in the city without needing to travel on busy urban streets.

Unfortunately, despite their obvious benefits and relatively low cost, these trails have been taking more than two decades to complete. Part of the reason is the fact that over 60% of our state's transportation funding is spent on highways, whereas less than 1% goes to bicycle and pedestrian projects. Call all of your elected officials today and ask them to keep these projects moving along!

OffManhattan: Nix Hamptons for New Haven

From Manhattan's green weekend travel blog comes an earth-friendly itinerary for Downtown New Haven attractions. Aside from all of the transit-accessible, walkable downtown attractions, like the New Haven Green and retail operations, however, the article fails to point out one of the best things about a summer escape to New Haven - the excellent waterfront areas and public parks with hundreds of miles of hiking trails within a short walk or bicycle ride of the city center.

Of course, the idea of New Haven being a perfect compromise between thriving city and rural escape is nothing new: on February 12, 1842, Charles Dickens wrote:

"New Haven, known as the City of Elms, is a fine town. Many of its streets (as its alias sufficiently imports) are planted with rows of grand old elm-trees; and the same natural ornaments surround Yale College, an establishment of considerable eminence and reputation. The various departments of this institution are erected in a kind of park or common in the middle of town, where they are dimly visible among the shadowing trees. The effect is very like that of an old cathedral yard in England; and, when their branches are in full leaf, must be extremely picturesque. Even in the winter-time, these groups of well-grown trees, clustering among the busy streets and houses of a thriving city, have a very quaint appearance: seeming to bring about a kind of compromise between town and country; as if each had met the other half-way, and shaken hands upon it; which is at once novel and pleasant."

Cherry Blossom Festival - Sunday

Check out this page at Info New Haven for details on the 35th annual festival, which draws crowds to marvel at the best-maintained and one of the oldest major collections of Yoshino cherry trees on the East Coast.

When the cherries are at peak bloom -- most likely next week -- be sure to walk down Hughes Place, at the north end of Wooster Square Park (see photo at left & click to enlarge).

Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! (updated)

A fantastic cover story appears in today's Yale Daily News about the proposal to tear down (or at least modify) sections of the wall surrounding downtown New Haven's Grove Street Cemetery, one of the nation's most historic burying grounds -- the first incorporated cemetery in the United States, and a National Historic Landmark.

Vincent Scully: “Yale is cut right through the liver by that cemetery,” the emeritus Sterling professor of the History of Art said with characteristic zeal. “It would make a great difference if the cemetery were more welcoming.”

Certainly, more local residents would be able to appreciate this incredible historical resource if a pathway were added through the site. Yale Professor David Cameron added an op-ed on this New Haven landmark in today's Yale Daily News. But would adding a simple new gate or portion of iron fence have an impact on the site's character? The proposal raises questions about the nature of historic preservation, such as the need to conserve the material and cultural qualities of a built place for future generations (since it is conceivable that improving visual access from both sides of the site could actually help the site be preserved over generations by making it more meaningful to them) and the nature of the site's original intent (an issue brought up in the article):

"Denison Olmsted 1813, a Yale science professor, speaking at the gateway’s dedication, expressed his hope that there would be strong interaction between New Haven’s residents and its burial grounds.

“Let us all come hither to think calmly but wisely on our own inevitable destiny,” he pronounced.

Townshend, in his [1947] speech, added a few words that are perhaps the perfect explanation of the importance of open walls to achieving the ideal of Olmstead’s lofty words."

In that vein (no historically-relevant cadaver puns related to the Yale School of Medicine intended), how about tearing down a section of wall and adding a museum about the cemetery? Perhaps a new community conference center or a bike path? Or a cafe, a la Boston? The view of the cemetery is certainly beautiful, especially given the landmark's extensive history of horticulture.

Paul (from YDN comments): "The concerns voiced here that providing more pedestrian and visual access to Grove Street cemetery would somehow intolerably disturb it and its dead fly in the face of many counterexamples. For example, Trinty Church in lower Manhattan has a lovely cemetery that is quite open to the public, physically and visually. Boston has many such cemeteries. The list goes on and on. Resistance to providing more pedestrian access to Grove Street Cemetery in the face of world wide counterexamples and changing needs is just reactionary."

Also, although the issue is raised by many commentators, would personal security concerns be any different from what they are now, assuming appropriate levels of patrol and continuing to limit access to daylight hours?

Downtown New Haven Recognized by PPS

http://www.cityofnewhaven.com/Mayor/ReadMore.asp?ID=%7BD4F8586C-C8A4-4490-BCDD-D54B3C28E238%7D

In the past, Project for Public Spaces has also recognized the New Haven Green.

Prevention Magazine: New Haven ranks high for walkability

New Haven ranks #19 out of 500 cities nationwide -- above Portland, Burlington and Seattle -- for its walkability. The score was based on urban planning reviews, crime rates, % of residents who walk to work, availability of neighborhood parks, and other factors. Providence comes in at #105 and Hartford at #107.
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/upload/2008/03/walk%20ability.pdf