Article: "Walkable Retirement Communities are Hitting Their Stride"

officerripley

officerripley

Well-known Member
Location
Porlock, Calif
"Some suburban towns are resisting the developments because density is at the core of their design." To read the rest of the article: https://www.nextavenue.org/walkable...166652184&mc_cid=94df9c495e&mc_eid=7db4a22a9a

This is I guess something I'll only ever be able to daydream about since it's only on the U.S. East Coast and I'm in California where the car is king. (Plus Huzz refuses to consider walking unless it's strictly for recreation; he says if you walk to do an errand it makes you like a poor person.) But these communities look really nice to me.
 

Muskrat said:
I am currently in a community in buckeye arizona that is totally set up for this. There are multiple small parks, wide sidewalks ,bike lanes and a “main street” area with a grocery store and pharmacy. Amazing amount of people using the trails and parks. This is pretty well done.
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That's good to know that there are some here in the west; who knows, maybe one will come near here. (Yeah, right; I live where the attitude is: "Oh, you want to be taken care of in your old age? Have kids so they can do it.")
 
I live the largest city in Canada, with over 4 million in the Greater Toronto Area. My house was built in 1907 when this was the far west end of the developed part of the city. Now it is the west end but there are about 12 miles of city to the west, where Toronto butts up against the next city over, called Mississauga.

If I go out of my house, I am 3 minutes walk to a major Toronto street . St Clair Avenue, which runs for about 11 miles from east to west, with a TTC streetcar line and buses and blocks of commercial stores, churches, cafes, and banks. If I turn south I can walk through my neighborhood for a mile or 2. Bear in mind that ALL Of this was built from 1890, to the middle 60's.

The city of Toronto has been very active in developing bike and walking paths across the city, including in my area. On the main streets there is a physical barrier between the bike path and the car lanes. At traffic light controlled intersections, the pedestrian and bike users get a 15 second advanced green, so they can cross before the vehicles start to move. That defuses a lot of the conflict between car drivers ( especially those making a right turn ) and the bike and pedestrian people. Bikes here in the Province of Ontario are legally "vehicles " just not Motor Vehicles, so the riders MUST obey all of the laws that vehicle drivers have to comply with. Bike riders here get Police traffic tickets for running stop signs or red lights, as well as not having lights at night or riding on the sidewalk. Courts do convict and fine bike riders here. JimB.
 
Over many years have walked about my local urban zone. However ridiculously, a vast majority of vehicle centric others do not even if they just need to go a block or three.

Less than one mile:
A Community Center with many buildings that was originally a large high school campus with a track and large athletic field.
Home Depot
Kolhs
Staples
Walgreens
FED Ex Office
Safeway supermarket
Movie center complex
Old downtown with many small shops, bars, restaurants, that has a Sunday farmer's market and regular street closed fairs and events.
Several county bus lines
Light rail line that opens up the whole vast San Francisco Bay region via public transit that is dirt cheap for seniors.

Within 1.5 miles:
Two more Safeway supermarkets
Whole Foods
Ebay headquarters
another movie center complex
Sport Basement
Trader Joe's
Several miles long creek side park

Many more banks, churches, businesses, and residential areas
 
Muskrat said:
I am currently in a community in buckeye Arizona that is totally set up for this. There are multiple small parks, wide sidewalks ,bike lanes and a “main street” area with a grocery store and pharmacy. Amazing amount of people using the trails and parks. This is pretty well done.
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Do a lot of people walk in the summer? I've been to Phoenix when it was 115F and even hotter...
 
Walking anywhere in greater Houston marks you as an endangered species. Fair game for any powered vehicle. Cross walks offer conveniently marked pedestrian kill zones enabling drivers to take deliberate aim.

No mass transit services available anywhere near where I live. A Park-and-Ride is near, not within walking distance-at least without taking your life in your hands having to cross numerous multi-lane trafficways. Then the park-and-ride takes you into downtown Houston on the freeway. No stops for any essential services a senior may need. Heck, I haven't seen public transportation in any way, shape or manner in my neighborhood since I retired here twenty years ago.

There are the odd C-stores scattered about. But they are all re-rod barred and razor wire protected from the constant burglaries. I hesitate to go in any for fear I could not get out in the event of an emergency. Brings to mind the old saw, "Build a place you can't get into, and you have a place you can't get out of."

This does not bode well for the inevitable time when I must give up driving and rely on other sources for essential services. At 79 y.o., thinking it is time to begin planning an exit strategy to an area of the country more pedestrian friendly.
 
Muskrat said:
I am currently in a community in buckeye arizona that is totally set up for this. There are multiple small parks, wide sidewalks ,bike lanes and a “main street” area with a grocery store and pharmacy. Amazing amount of people using the trails and parks. This is pretty well done.
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Is it expensive? Do you have a detached house? I lived in Arizona for a while and just loved it. However, aging has taken its toll and I'm looking for some place where conveniences are closer.
 
officerripley said:
That's good to know that there are some here in the west; who knows, maybe one will come near here. (Yeah, right; I live where the attitude is: "Oh, you want to be taken care of in your old age? Have kids so they can do it.")
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My Step Mother was born on an Oregon farm to a family of 16 children. Why so many? Two reasons — lots of willing hands to do various tasks on the farm, and perhaps even more important, they would be there to care for their parents in old age. In an era of Social Security, 401Ks, and a college education that can cost a fortune, those children are not as vital as they once were. The result, a US birth rate insufficient to maintain the current population numbers. The same issue hangs over the rest of the developed world.
 
Muskrat said:
Detached house. Expensive is hard to determine. I figure my costs run about 600 per month even though I own outright. This takes into consideration property tax by month and hoa fees and solar lease with my utilities.
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Where you live, considering the low expenses sounds fantastic! You topped our low housing cost of $644 which includes HOA, taxes, heat and hot water. We pay the electric bill but that averages just $84 a month.
 
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Walk score 88. Redmond WA.
It is degraded because driving to downtown takes 9 minutes; walking 12 minutes.
High school and Middle school are 2 miles away and takes 2 buses. I'd drive it because they are at the top of a long, steep hill. We don't have children that go to school. Our son does live on that hill.
Otherwise I would say we have a walk score of 95.
We try to walk 2 miles/day. It's flat. or we can take a bus to somewhere to the have a new walk.
Light rail will be a reality 2024-26.
On senior $1 fare, good for all reboarding within 150min, I can get to far end of Seattle in 45 minutes via express bus, every 10 minutes, ~15 miles which is most direct. Near end of Seattle, in 30 minutes. SEA 90min. Amtrak 45. I can get to Bellevue in 45 minutes running 8 minutes, ~8 miles, most direct but bus takes the scenic routes. Driving 10-15 minutes.

We put on 60-80miles/mo for Costco and specialty food stores. We could walk to Costco and bus to grocery stores but we buy too much. If just a couple of items, it is included in our daily walks.
 
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Muskrat said:
Detached house. Expensive is hard to determine. I figure my costs run about 600 per month even though I own outright. This takes into consideration property tax by month and hoa fees and solar lease with my utilities.
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Wow, that's really a great price. I'll have to check into this area. Thank you for responding.
 

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