Walkablilty makes no sense unless we have somewhere interesting to walk to. Walking around the neighborhood in loops is only valuable if you're looking for an exercise regimen. [...]

In this CDC-sponsored video the narrator says "(walkable communities) are no longer a fairy tale - they're a reality".  I had to laugh! it's like the government just stumbled upon this concept.  In towns like [...]

It's unusually cold for this time of year, but since it is in fact April, I assume that we'll see warmer weather soon. For me, that means more time outdoors, specifically in Brookdale Park.

I've been going to Brookdale Park since my kids were babies: I spent many afternoons pushing their strollers along the paths and later helped them [...]

On September 14, the Star-Ledger ran an article about electric car charging stations; Montclair is one of four towns in New Jersey that received a grant from Walmart to install them. I have mixed feelings about these stations. On one hand, electric cars reduce our dependence on foreign oil, so anything that makes them more convenient to [...]

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal,

"Today's home buyers aren't just looking for good schools and low crime rates when they evaluate a neighborhood, many brokers say. They're paying much more attention to what they can walk to." (emphasis added)

The growth of walkability as a desirable quality comes from homebuyers [...]

What Is Your Community Walkability Score?

I'm a big fan of the rating website, www.walkscore.com, but its algorithm relies mostly on the proximity of a house to stores and community resources.  But to find walkability rating, it's not just about distance -- it's also about the quality and ease of the [...]

Anthropologie--the big retailer with modern urban style clothing and home goods--has opened its doors in Montclair in time for the holiday shopping season.  I'm sure there is some grumbling as people roll their eyes at $200 corduroy pants and worry that chain stores will threaten the character of our very indie town.  Me, I welcome [...]

I'm not a big mall person.  The whole ordeal of driving 20 minutes only to look for parking for another 20 minutes has turned me off.  These days I'm shopping locally in Montclair, and starting today, Oct 15th, 50 plus stores will keep their doors open until at least 8 pm.  Some of my personal favorites are: [...]

I'm a fan of mixed use.  Mixed use is the practice of allowing different types of buildings to coexist in a single neighborhood - for example, residential space next to/on top of restaurants and businesses.   By adding vitality and activity to a neighborhood, mixed use benefits a community because residents are able to walk to things that [...]

When I walk to Watchung Plaza from my Montclair home, I take a short route  through an interconnected grid of streets and through a small park.  I wave to my neighbor on the way.  I stop for a brief minute in the park to chat with a friend who's on her way home from work (she's just gotten off the 5:31 [...]