City Planning Guru, George Osner
TGSG Note: Recently, I wrote about urban planning as one of the key barriers to today’s children spending time outdoors. I am so excited to have City Planner, George Osner guest post today at TGSG. An expert in his field — as well as a father and grandfather — I can’t think of anyone better to discuss this issue. Important information for us all to learn more about. See ya outside! – The Grass Stain Guru
City planning? Why should I care about that? Isn’t that just something bureaucrats and politicians do?
If you care about kids — and you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t, you should care about how your town or city is planned and where it is headed in the future. The way your city is laid out has a big impact on kids, some obvious, some not so obvious.
An obvious one is an adequate amount of parks and other open space that is easily accessible. After all, TGSG is all about playing outside, right? Getting an adequate amount of land for parks is a constant battle in growing areas. Kids need outdoor spaces, and not just their own backyards (and many don’t have backyards). Imaginative, unstructured play has been shown to be critical to social and mental development of children. Outdoor, natural environments are crucial to reducing stress levels for children and adults. Parks, greenways, trails, natural areas along waterways, these all are needed for a humane, kid-friendly environment. And adult-friendly, too!
Public open space is a critical element to any city and is especially critical to kids. These spaces are the places where kids meet informally and groups/friends coalesce. (Private open space—aka vacant lots—played a big role in my childhood as well).
The modern city is designed with cars, not people (and certainly not kids) at the top of the pyramid. We have tried (unsuccessfully) to create a model where cars can be used to zip us everywhere with no waiting, and at the same time to insulate ourselves from the effects of that zipping. Thus the typical subdivision with as many cul-de-sacs crammed in as possible. This has huge downsides for kids. It means that every trip requires a car—even to visit that friend who lives over the fence in back—he or she may be next to you, but you have to negotiate a half-mile of streets to get from one cul-de-sac to the other. And while the cul-de-sac has little traffic, the “collector” streets are full of fast traffic, and the arterial streets are even worse—all the traffic is concentrated on a few streets, making them a place where no one cares—or dares to walk or take their bicycle. A walk to the park or to school becomes a scary trip that most parents don’t want their child attempting. This “must drive to everything” design is very destructive. It contributes to the immobilizing fear/security syndrome that we see depriving our kids of their childhood. And furthermore, it is at the core of the epidemic of childhood (and adult for that matter) obesity and juvenile diabetes.
Connectivity is a planning buzzword that you should know. A city design that has less cul-de-sacs and more grid streets has some great benefits. The traffic on any one connecting street becomes less, so that cars and walkers/cyclists can coexist. Sometimes this is married with “traffic-calming” techniques—roundabouts, narrow streets, and other measures to keep vehicle speed down. An area with high connectivity becomes walkable — families can visit the neighbors, walk to the park, and kids can walk to school. In a well designed neighborhood with a fine-grained mixture of uses (mixing land uses like retail and housing at the neighborhood/project level), even the kinds of shopping that are done on a daily basis are within a walking radius.
Great urban planning design incorporates connectivity principles, adequate and accessible well-designed open space, a fine-grained mixture of uses, and sufficient density to enhance both walkability and the availability of non-auto modes of travel, like mass transit. These principles have the added benefit of significantly reducing energy use and greenhouse gas generation — huge issues that will affect our kids and grandkids in significant and not yet well-understood ways.
So what can you do with this information? City governments are highly responsive to their constituents. Get organized. Follow your city’s planning commission and city council actions. Join a group promoting good planning for your community. Attend meetings and support the good/oppose the bad. Insist that plans for your community incorporate connectivity, walkabilty, and mixed use principles, and that project approvals carry these principles out.
You can make a difference to your community, and those individual improvements add up to make a difference to the world!
Guest Blogger Bio: George Osner (AICP) has been a planner for 33 years. His goal as a planner is and has always been to make the future a better place for the coming generations. An avid cyclist, George is the a father of four and grandfather of five. He lives in California with his partner and cat, Freddie Mac.
RT @balmeras: Please show @gosner some love today!! REALLY Important topic: Planning Kid-Friendly Cities http://bit.ly/6DR #playoutdoors.
RT @balmeras: New Post @ The Grass Stain Guru: Planning Kid-Friendly Cities w/ guest @gosner http://bit.ly/6DR #playoutdoors. Please RT.
George brings up one of the key issues the challenge we face right now. And that is, will taxpayers care about what this place will be like in 20 years, if the majority of them won’t be living here? This needs to be a major area of our work. How do we get people to see that catastophic climate change, higher sea levels, play space and other quality of life issues matter, even if it won’t affect them personally? Our grandchildren cannot afford to have these problems passed on to them!
RT @gosner: Planning Kid-Friendly Cities. Hope you’ll stop by and leave a comment – http://bit.ly/6DR
RT @balmeras: New Post @ The Grass Stain Guru: Planning Kid-Friendly Cities w/ guest @gosner http://bit.ly/6DR #playoutdoors. Please RT.
It seems like all these issues (connectivity, walkability, mixed use) are what was in place before we started planning housing developments, yes? My turn of the century neighborhood is full of grid streets, shopping within walking distance, parks we can safely walk or ride to…
RT @balmeras: Why is city planning important for kids? Find out @ The Grass Stain Guru: w/ guest @gosner http://bit.ly/6DR #playoutdoors.
RT @balmeras: Why is city planning important for kids? Find out @ The Grass Stain Guru: w/ guest @gosner http://bit.ly/6DR #playoutdoors.
Mr. Osner’s post on urban planning incorporating factors that foster the security of our kids could not have been posted at a better time, when America is mourning the tragic outcome of Sandra Cantu’s dissappearance. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family at this time of loss. .. Parents need reassurance that our streets and parks can be designed kid-friendly. Can we, parents, feel comfortable to let our kids walk to school, just half a block from our homes? Mr. Osner hits the main points and it is up to us to come as a community to get involved; whether it is attending city planning meetings (so that our concerns can be heard), or joining and supporting community programs and efforts to make their neihborhood a better place to live. We need to present opportunities for our children to engage in activities that enhance their understanding of their environment, their city, and the future. This is a perfect “segue” to stir the readers’ interest in introducing an educational and engineering program available to middle schools across the country…”National Engineers Week – Future City Competition”…visit their website at http://www.futurecity.org.
RT @gosner: Planning Kid-Friendly Cities. Hope you’ll stop by and leave a comment – http://bit.ly/6DR
RT @balmeras: Why is city planning important for kids? Find out @ The Grass Stain Guru: w/ guest @gosner http://bit.ly/6DR #playoutdoors.
I have know George Osner for over 25 years and he is an outstanding planner. How frustrating it must have been for him to plan a Village One that was walkable and children friendly. Instead the politicians made decisions that change his wonderful vision into just another poorly planning area that is not even walkable. He is very correct when he writes about having outdoor areas i.e. parks for children to play. He wants childen to ride their bikes safely. I am very fortunate that my grandchildren live in Huntingting Beach. When I visited I took them to the park to play. As they grew older, they tended to play with children at home on the computer, X Box, and other such toys with their friends. However, my grandson is able to ride his bicycle to school every day. This all takes good planning. Why can this happen in one city and not another? Thank you George for your article.
RT @balmeras: Why is city planning important for kids? Find out @ The Grass Stain Guru: w/ guest @gosner http://bit.ly/6DR #playoutdoors.
http://tinyurl.com/cxsrsa
Planning Kid-Friendly Cities | The Grass Stain Guru
It is possible to retrofit the cul-de-sac suburb to improve access and walkability. Is anyone still approving this version of suburbia? Even in many suburban cities in Texas, this model is no longer being proposed.
I agree with the author, especially about involvement from the community. If you can link the interests of everyone who doesn’t drive — the children, and older citizens, and the physically challenged — you would have a powerful interest group.
@gosner You wrote a wonderful piece for @balmeras @ Grass Stain Guru today! http://tinyurl.com/c6cb7p!
http://tinyurl.com/cxsrsa
Planning Kid-Friendly Cities | The Grass Stain Guru
RT @MyGreenSide @gosner You wrote a wonderful piece for @balmeras @ Grass Stain Guru today! http://tinyurl.com/c6cb7p!
http://tinyurl.com/cxsrsa
Planning Kid-Friendly Cities | The Grass Stain Guru
@gosner You wrote a wonderful piece for @balmeras @ Grass Stain Guru today! http://tinyurl.com/c6cb7p!
http://tinyurl.com/cxsrsa
Planning Kid-Friendly Cities | The Grass Stain Guru
RT @MyGreenSide @gosner You wrote a wonderful piece for @balmeras @ Grass Stain Guru today! http://tinyurl.com/c6cb7p!
Great post! We are blessed here in MN to have amazing biking and walking paths that link to each other all over the metro area. But we do have a lot of developments that just have row after row of houses with hardly any green spaces – just a lot of tar/concrete. They are depressing! We definitely need to have more planners like George at the helm!
I definitely agree that we need to have better cities for children – and adults! One of the reasons obesity is such a problem is because we don’t have as many safe and enjoyable outdoor spaces to enjoy and use in our communities as we really need.
Simple solutions such as infill parks (using empty lots) or small community parks can make a huge difference.
This is such a powerful post, and I am so thankful that George made the time to share this info with us all. It’s such an important issue. I would love to hear how folks get involved in planning issues in their community.
I am so fortunate to live in a part of DC where I have easy walking access to everything I need (store, bank, etc.), including several parks & the riverfront. I have buses & the metro train a block away, and now that I don’t work in the suburbs any longer, rarely use my car. It has changed my life & stress level in so many ways. We have to find ways for people to be comfortable & safe on foot so this can become part of their lifestyles.
Thanks for all your great comments! Cheers- Bethe
Planning Kid-Friendly Cities @balmeras and The Grass Stain Guru http://tiny.cc/EiuyD
Planning Kid-Friendly Cities @balmeras and The Grass Stain Guru http://tiny.cc/EiuyD
Planning Kid-Friendly Cities from the Grass Stain Guru http://tinyurl.com/c6cb7p
Planning Kid-Friendly Cities from the Grass Stain Guru http://tinyurl.com/c6cb7p
@activekidsclub Pleasure! You know I am on urban planning nerd from way back.
) http://bit.ly/6DR by sweet George @osner
@activekidsclub Pleasure! You know I am on urban planning nerd from way back.
) http://bit.ly/6DR by sweet George @osner
RT @EcoPulse: Audi Scores Some Big Green Points: Audi also showed up with its second "e-tron" concept car. (An earl… http://bit.ly/6DR …