Recommended read: “Walkable City” by Jeff Speck

The latest book by renowned city planner Jeff Speck is Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time (2012). This is a follow-up to Suburban Nation, his popular work on sprawl in America’s suburbs.

“It turns out the way we move largely determines the way we live.” (55)

What I really enjoy about Jeff Speck’s writing is that he explains city planning concepts in a way that is universally relatable – to anyone with or without a background in planning, whether a resident of the city or the suburbs. It’s clear his writing is meant to grow mass support for urban living and walkable cities, and though he employs plenty of statistics to make his arguments, he keeps the material from sounding dry or inaccessible.

Speck moved to Washington, DC after leaving his home in South Beach, Miami, and has also lived in the various towns and cities he has helped plan. This means he can draw upon plenty of firsthand experience of what makes a city livable and capable of drawing new residents. (If you live in DC, you’ve likely seen his flatiron-style home at 10th and Florida Avenue NW.) His city planning experience also lends itself to his writing, and he pulls many real-world examples of the advantages of walkability and what makes certain cities so magnetic.

Speck centers the text on his “General Theory of Walkability” which centers on four conditions of what makes a good walk. It must be (1) useful, (2) safe, (3) comfortable, and (4) interesting. From this theory, he then presents ten steps for creating a more walkable city. As a self-proclaimed generalist, he recognizes that to design a city one cannot disregard cars, bicycles, transit, or the other elements at work. Speck makes sure to touch on these points in turn. The result is a book that is tuned into the physical and cultural landscape of cities today, as well as the demographic and geographic shifts currently at play in America. Jeff Speck didn’t write Walkable City for the planners, but for the people who live in these communities.

Jeff Speck’s Twitter feed is @JeffSpeckAICP.

Mapping DC with OpenStreetMap

Mapping DC is the local group of OpenStreetMap users who’s back in action after a few months lull (various folks leaving DC to work on projects around the world). There have been “mapping parties” to work on filling out areas of the map around Washington, DC that are lacking or inaccurate – recent ones having taken place in Hyattsville, MD and at the Congressional Cemetery in DC.

Even if you’ve never mapped with OpenStreetMap before, I encourage you to get involved if you have an interest in improving the map. OSM grows in importance and reach daily, and is becoming more widely used in applications and services such as Wikipedia and Foursquare. Whether it’s small changes in your neighborhood or participating in mapping parties, the community is open to having your help.

Check out the Mapping DC group to learn more about upcoming events. Map locally, think globally.

Ride Report: Washington, DC to Harpers Ferry, WV

Made an overnight bike trip to Harpers Ferry from DC this beautiful fall weekend. Three of us met up at Baked and Wired in Georgetown on Saturday morning for pre-ride caffeine and quiche before setting off. The plan was to start off on the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) and take that until Fletcher’s Boathouse, where we then switched over to the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath. The C&O runs parallel to the CCT for awhile, then the two trails branch off. We didn’t get going until around 10am, which made for a late lunch stop.

The section of the C&O going out to Great Falls was gorgeous – trees ablaze with autumn colors, crushed gravel path tracing the Potomac River, the sun drying the puddles from the previous day’s rains. The cool weather made it a perfect day for riding in shorts and a light windbreaker. Since we were staying in a hostel overnight, we didn’t need to carry much other than a change of clothes and snacks. There were lots of hiking paths that met up with the towpath, which made me wish we had more time to stop and hike. Future plan: bike-to-hike trip?

At one point, we stopped to help a boy whose pedal had fallen off of his new bike – his parents didn’t have tools with them, but we were carrying a mini adjustable wrench. The karma didn’t pull us through for long, because we had a flat tire in our group about three hours into our ride. Luckily it was the only flat of the ride. While stopped, we helped another woman pump up her flat wheel as well. Being such a mild October day, there were plenty of cyclists and hikers out. We even saw a horse towing a boat full of passengers on a little tour down the C&O.

At Edward’s Ferry around mile 30, we stopped to stretch after too many miles of the rocky C&O towpath. A man walking by told us that we had to stop for lunch at White’s Ferry: “I wasn’t expecting much from the ‘snack bar’ but the burgers are phenomenal and they have hand-cut french fries.” His ardent recommendation pulled us through the next five miles to White’s Ferry, where we ate great burgers (and a veggie burger) with a boatload of french fries. We sat on one of the picnic tables outside and watched the cars line up for the ferry across the river. Hunger is the best sauce, second best being ketchup and hot sauce. If you’re planning on stopping here, make sure you have some cash on hand as they don’t take plastic money.

The last 25 miles to Harpers Ferry were less eventful – we were starting to grow weary of the constant vibration from riding on rocky trail and promising ourselves we’d ride on paved roads tomorrow. There were many puddles and muddy patches left on the C&O towpath, so we were dodging those as well as the green balls that fall all over the trail. The miles peeled away slowly because the riding took our whole concentration. We were happy to finally make it into Harpers Ferry, even though there was a spiral staircase we had to ascend carrying our bikes and then a steep climb up the road to our hostel! When we got near the top of the hill, we spontaneously ran into two friends from DC who were also spending the night in Harpers Ferry. We quickly made plans to meet up for dinner, checked into our hostel, and took well-deserved showers.

The Teahorse Hostel, where we stayed, really felt like a home away from home. The owner, Laurel, is a friendly and accommodating woman who named the hostel after a place she visited in China near the ancient “Tea Horse” trading route. She provides bike storage for cyclists, and told us that she had two other groups of cyclists staying there that night. We ended up meeting one group the next morning who had ridden from Great Falls, but the other group left earlier than we woke up. Laurel made us a generously portioned waffle breakfast before we checked out on Sunday, great to get us going until lunch time. Orange juice, coffee, strawberries, bananas, waffles – the works.

We decided to get back on the C&O towpath for just a few miles until we reached Brunswick, then switch to on-street riding until Leesburg where we could connect to the familiar and smooth Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) trail. Though we were riding on fairly wide tires (knobby 35mms), the C&O had been rough going – many others we passed were on mountain bikes. It was a blissful moment when we reached Brunswick and our tires once again felt the welcoming embrace of paved roads. Brunswick has some steep hills, however, and we got to ride up a few extra hills by making some wrong turns. Bonus miles!

Once we finally crossed the bridge to the south of Brunswick into Virginia, the views were really spectacular. It was a two-lane road most of the way with little car traffic, weaving up and down past farmlands and vineyards. It was pleasant riding and the kind of bright autumn weather that feels infinite. We got on the W&OD at Clarke’s Gap and took the trail to my parents’ house to have a long lunch together. Back on the W&OD, we  passed a group of four riders on horseback, as well as rollerbladers, joggers, families, and many other cyclists. Though much more crowded than the C&O, the W&OD is smooth sailing.

Overall, our stops were well-placed through the weekend and I felt like it was pretty well-organized (that’s a pat on the back). The pace was leisurely, riding about 35 miles each day before lunch and another 30 or so after lunch. I’m not sure I’d take the C&O towpath for such a long stretch at a time again, but it was fun riding and had nice views.

Lake Myvatn and Hverir steam vents

To continue going through our Iceland trip, I wanted to write a little bit about the area surrounding Lake Mývatn. Myvatn is a common vacation spot for Icelanders and tourists, with mixed-use paths running the perimeter of the lake, opportunities to birdwatch in the surrounding wetlands, and a beautiful geothermal bath. The lake was created by volcanic activity, which continues to shape and re-shape the region.

The drive to Lake Myvatn by way of Route 1 was preceded by sweeping changes of landscape throughout the morning. The immense looming glacier Vatnajökull, miles (or kilometers) of open ocean raging against the shoreline, black sand beaches, and barren volcanic deserts carried us along the coast and back towards middle Iceland. The last couple of hours driving towards Myvatn from the east was truly a barren land – no people, a few wandering sheep, sparse vegetation, and patches of snow atop the seemingly endless stretches of mossy lava.

More photos, so the post continues after the cut.

The Many Waterfalls (Foss) of Iceland

You could spend your entire time in Iceland visiting waterfalls and never tire of them. They’re not only everyday, they’re each unique and wonderful in their own right. The Icelandic word for waterfall is foss, so if you see a sign for an attraction with a name that ends in foss, you know what’s coming. Here are some of the waterfalls we visited in Iceland.

Gullfoss

Gullfoss, the “Golden Falls”, is one part of Iceland’s Golden Circle – three sights that are only a couple hours from Reykjavik and make for a popular day trip for tourists. Along with Gullfoss, the Golden Circle includes Þingvellir National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and Geysir (from which we get the English word geyser) and the neighboring active geyser of Strokkur. Gullfoss is a tiered waterfall that feeds the Hvítá river, but the wind and spray from it makes it difficult to stay dry.

Seljalandsfoss

Seljalandsfoss was the first stop on our trip around the Ring Road. There’s a very wet path leading behind the waterfall, so you can take photos from a different perspective here. It’s worth stopping here, hiking around the back of Seljalandsfoss and also taking the trail to the smaller waterfalls nearby.

Skógafoss

This was one of my favorite waterfalls, even giving the magnificent Svartifoss (below) a run for its money. See that path on the right side of the photo? You can climb to the cliff above Skogafoss, amidst fields of grazing sheep. The banks of the river below are also made up of that wonderful black volcanic sand.

Svartifoss

Svartifoss (“Black Waterfall”) is one of the best known waterfalls in Iceland, characterized by the hexagonal basalt columns that outline the fall. You can hike to Svartifoss from Skaftafell, at the base of the Vatnajökull National Park. Vatnajökull is the largest glacier in Iceland, and makes for a breathtaking approach into the area. Svartifoss is a short, 1.5 km hike from the visitor center at Skaftafell, and the trail also joins two other falls.

We also passed many waterfalls while driving around the country, like this one below which had a new parking lot under construction when we came upon it.

Arrival in Iceland and Wandering Reykjavík

Our overnight flight to Iceland from Dulles arrived at Keflavik International Airport in the early morning, greeted by grey skies and a light drizzle. We went to the Flybus counter and bought tickets to our hostel. You give them your destination name and take the larger bus to the BSÍ bus terminal in Reykjavik, where the passengers are then split up into vans going the rest of the way to the various hotels and guesthouses around the city. It’s nice to be dropped right at your doorstep and the driver even gave us a brief introduction to Iceland. He told us that Iceland has had an especially sunny summer, though it was now the start of the rainy season. With the sunrise, it felt like the earth’s beauty began to come on display, a nice entrance into Iceland.

As it was too early to check into our hostel, we dropped our bags off in the luggage room and wandered out in search of breakfast. We walked down Laugavegur, one of the main streets with shopping by day and bars by night. Laugavegur used to be the main place to shop in Reykjavik before the arrival of shopping malls. Eventually we came across the Laundromat Café, which is exactly that – a laundromat and cafe, but it’s also a bar and restaurant. Breakfast was a bit pricey, but we quickly came to find that expensive food was the norm in much of the country because so much has to be imported from outside of Iceland.

I also noticed the strong design culture in Iceland – splashes of spray paint changing drab surfaces into loud canvasses, conspicuous attention to interior decoration, homes sporting colorful corrugated metal walls and roofs. Artfully handwritten signs, carefully drawn lattes, bold and bizarre fashions. A woman walked by dressed in what can only be called “hunting chic”: camouflage leggings, reflective panels, and a high-vis orange vest.

We had only snagged an hour of sleep on our short flight over, so we relaxed at Reykjavik Backpackers until check-in time. Adam started to fall asleep sitting at the table, so I asked whether we could check in early. Luckily, the hostel staff member was able to swing an early check-in and we took a nap before our lunch at Fish Market.

This meal was incredible. We opted for the lunch tasting menu, which allowed us to try a lot of unique dishes in one meal. I lost track of how many courses we had, and some plates came out simultaneously, but I’d say it was something like 7 or 8 courses total. Naturally, emphasis was on the fish dishes and we left feeling really satisfied. The dessert was a great touch – a sort of molecular gastronomy take on a cheesecake.

Icelandic beer is, for the most part, very light. The popular brews are Viking and Gull (Egils), which aren’t bad but also aren’t great. Icelanders also have a liquor called Brennivín that is nicknamed “Black Death”. The black label (and the skull that was formerly on the label) was originally used to discourage drinking – obviously unsuccessful, as Iceland’s drinking culture is well-known across the world. Dark days in winter and long days in summer mean plenty of reason to drink, though it’s mostly kept to weekends.

We spent some of our afternoon searching for a camping footprint, since we left our tarp at home. No luck at the outdoors store in downtown Reykjavik, but they pointed us to three other camping/sporting goods stores in the city that we could either take a bus to or drive to. Icelanders are very fond of camping and in the summer, campgrounds are crowded and noisy. However, with the cold, rainy weather for our trip, they weren’t nearly as crowded.

The first night, we were introduced to the Reykjavik Friday nightlife by an Australian expat staying at our hostel. He had lived in Iceland for several years before, and was now back in Reykjavik for awhile longer. We caught some free live music at our hostel and met a couple other travelers, then went out to a few bars: Vegamót, Boston, and one other place. It was a fun introduction to the city, but we didn’t last into the morning hours like the other Icelanders.

Iceland is a place we’ve been hearing a lot about in recent years, and no surprise – tourism has doubled in the last decade, with an estimated 700,000 tourists in 2012. For context, Iceland’s entire population is only 300,000 (half the population of DC proper). Though we saw places being quickly developed, Iceland is working on a plan for the sustainable development of tourism. It’s a nation with a lot of geological beauty that needs to be preserved even as it’s being shared with the rest of the world.

Tidbits about Iceland over Coffee

Returned from Iceland last night and I’m starting to go through photos and notes from the trip, but for now here are a few things I find impressive about that island country of 300,000 centered on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge:

Use of geothermal energy to conquer what is often a fierce and unforgiving land. The water heated below the surface of the earth is harnessed to heat homes and businesses, greenhouses, and the Icelanders’ beloved hot pots. Hot pots are natural tubs that can be found in nearly every medium-sized town, a great place to soak and socialize. This geothermal energy has allowed Iceland to become mostly energy-independent and is much of the reason the country is livable. And Iceland is not by any means an easy place to inhabit – people have to deal with dark, snowy winters that make many roads treacherous to travel, and the greatest number of active volcanoes in the world which can (and do) devastate towns without warning. In addition, not many animals can live in Iceland, but those that can are some of the hardiest in the world.

How quiet and unpopulated the country can feel. We travelled there in late September, which is the beginning of the off-season, but at many popular stops we saw few other tourists unless we happened to arrive at the same time a tour bus did. At the majority of our stops, we were the only ones around. Much of the country is uninhabitable – think fields and fields of nothing but volcanic rock – but a lot of it is also rural farmland. The ‘big’ cities include Reykjavik (the capital with around 100,000 people) and Akureyri (population 17,00o), which gives you a sense of how small the other towns must be. It’s commonly said that there are more sheep than people in Iceland.

Iceland as a nature lover’s dream. It’s hard to deny that it’s a gorgeous country. Abundant opportunities for hiking, ever-changing landscapes, all sorts of adventure sports, and volcanoes and glaciers. Mountains, hot springs, steam vents, and waterfalls everywhere you look.

The Dawn of Transit-Oriented Development in Tysons Corner

Past and Current Tysons

Tysons Corner today is centered on its two malls and its fleet of office buildings, along with hotels and additional retail. It is considered part of the technology business corridor that stretches west to Reston, as Tysons is home to many large tech companies – some of whom where around since they witnessed the rise of the Internet Age. The economic core of Fairfax County, Tysons Corner is a huge business district drawing in over 100,000 workers on a typical weekday.

The immense Tysons Corner Center mall opened in 1968, and the more upscale Tysons Galleria mall (commonly called Tysons 2) opened nearby twenty years later. Tysons 2 is not attached to Tysons Corner Center mall; though it is possible to walk between the two malls, it’s not recommended because there are few sidewalks or crosswalks. The crosswalks that exist are by no means consistent – right now you can’t make the walk without having to scamper across at least a couple of lanes while watching for car traffic. There are many curved turn lanes leading to mall entrances that prevent cars from needing to slow down much, while exposing people on foot to more risk when crossing. In the original iteration of Tysons Corner, pedestrian access has typically been an oversight.

Being a very popular shopping destination, the Tysons Corner Center mall experiences a mind-numbing amount of traffic during the holiday season. I currently work in the area, and many of my coworkers’ commutes take them twice as long in December – and 30 minutes to an hour of that is just sitting in traffic leaving the mall. Metrobuses trying to get into and out of the mall area also take significantly longer, stretching the usual 15 minute ride to the West Falls Church Metro to an hour or longer.

And despite the immense draw of Tysons Corner for business and shopping, it lacks residents. There are very few people living here, very few amenities to attract more to stay past closing time, and very few ways to get around without a car in the evenings.

Metro Connections

Tysons Corner in the 1950s was originally planned with accessibility by private automobile in mind, and is only now shifting to more transit-oriented development. Right now, the best way to reach Tysons Corner by public transit is using bus lines that run through the area from the West Falls Church Metro station. The 28A, 28X, and 28T all make a stop at the mall and run on a frequent schedule during rush hour. However, the future Metro Silver Line will bridge this connection, making parts of Tysons Corner reachable without the need to transfer to a bus.

The current plan for the Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project (dubbed the “Silver Line”) will construct Metrorail stations in two phases along the Dulles Corridor in Loudoun, Fairfax, and Arlington counties. Phase 1, currently under construction, is set to connect the currently existing West Falls Church Metro station to the future stations in Tysons Corner and at Wiehle Avenue in Reston – total of five new stations. These should open in 2013 if construction stays on schedule. Phase 2 will later add six additional stations, connecting Reston to Herndon, the Dulles Airport (IAD), and Ashburn.

For Tysons Corner, Metrorail access will be a huge boon. Mass transit will allow more people to come without a car and will spur the growth of new types of businesses around these stations. Adding Metrorail connections also helps accommodate the heavy seasonal traffic to Tysons without further congesting the nearby area.

The Comprehensive Plan

So, there’s a need to build stronger transit links, design the area to be more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly, add residential and retail development to attract people to live in Tysons, and make it a place of activity around the clock. The Comprehensive Plan approved in 2010 aims to just that. It envisions 100,000 residents living in Tysons Corner and 200,000 jobs by the year 2050. Malcolm Kenton of Greater Greater Washington summarizes the Tysons master plan:

The new Tysons, in addition to very dense evenly mixed-use development near the three Metro stations, will feature an urban circulator, which could take the form of a streetcar or a rapid bus line. An expanded network of on-road bike lanes and off-road bicycle & pedestrian paths, as well as bike parking minimums, will help increase non-auto modes’ share of daily commuters from just three percent today to 36 percent in 2030.

Not including the construction of Silver Line and HOT lanes, this will cost $1.698 billion over 20 years. This will eventually decrease total automobile traffic to the area as other modes of transportation become more convenient. A liveable and walkable place would be a vast improvement on what is currently Tysons Corner. I’m eager to see these plans play out over the coming years, aligning the ‘new’ Tysons Corner with the ideals of transit-oriented development.

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For further reading, see…

Transforming Tysons Corner: A High-Stakes Suburban Retrofit on DC Streetsblog

Tysons highlighted as global example for smart growth on Greater Greater Washington

Refocus the Transportation Network on Fairfax County’s website

Internet Alley: High Technology in Tysons Corner, 1945-2005 by Paul Ceruzzi

Bike Overnight to Ellicott City

Another weekend trip by bicycle, and remembered to take a camera too!

This weekend Adam and I explored some of what Maryland has to offer – various streets, trails, and parks in Howard and Prince George’s counties. We went to stay with a friend in Ellicott City, Maryland whose family was having their annual crab feast. It’s a Maryland tradition, and a delicious one. We switched the rear rack from my beater bike onto Adam’s Raleigh Furley (the orange bike) and I took my Fuji road bike, fitting just what we needed for the weekend in the set of rear panniers that we usually use to haul groceries. That meant Adam carried most of the weight (on a single-speed no less!) while I took care of planning our route and navigating by way of a jerry-rigged cue sheet holder.

Spare tubes, snacks, clothes, bike locks, and swimsuits went in the panniers. We were visiting our friend Kate, who has a backyard pool – perfect post-ride activity.

Some of the streets looked like this: winding roads with wide shoulders and cars that gave plenty of space when passing. It was a nice jaunt through suburbia.

Our late lunch stop on Saturday was in Savage Mill, where we got a shrimp po’boy sandwich and veggie burger from Rams Head Tavern. This place seemed to try to do everything, with a dive bar, a nice restaurant, and a casual patio all in one. We sat outside on the patio, the sun was shining, and the french fries were especially good. Hunger is the best french fry seasoning, as they may say.

From Savage Mill, we got on the Patuxent Branch Trail, which I’m fairly certain I’ve never taken before. It’s a beautiful 4.5-mile rail-trail (along the former Baltimore & Ohio railroad line) that links Savage Park and Lake Elkhorn. There is, for the most part, good signage along the trail, except one confusing fork where we asked a man walking his dog which way the trail continued…

Me: Which way goes to Lake Elkhorn?
Him: Well, that way (pointing) is townhouses.
Me: Then what’s that way? (pointing at other path)
Him: Townhouses.
Me: …
Him: Just try it out!

We did try it out, and got turned around a couple times, but then we made it to Lake Elkhorn in Columbia, Maryland! I made sure to work this into the route because it’s near my childhood home. Many fond memories here.

We continued on, making it to my friend’s house an hour later than we meant to, due to a late start and a longer than expected lunch break. We also got lost quite a bit in the neighborhoods north of Lake Elkhorn, which look something like this:

Cul-de-sac after cul-de-sac after cul-de-sac. The route I devised took us through some of these neighborhoods via the small paths behind townhouses and schools, but in hindsight I would take to the roads after Lake Elkhorn, as many of the small paths are not labeled in any way.

At Kate’s we took a dip in the pool, feasted on crabs with her family and neighbors, and sat outside in the cool night talking about coffee and Luddites and art. She had to work early on Sunday, so we left when she did the next morning at dawn break.

Before breakfast, though, we got chased by a dog. This really got our hearts racing. I can’t even remember if it was me or Adam who first noticed that a large dog was gaining on us, but it was barking and getting too close for my comfort. Adam shouted at me to run, but it kept giving chase and so I yelled at him to try to squirt it with a water bottle. He did, and the dog finally slowed enough for us to get away. The idea to squirt it with water wasn’t mine alone – I read it online in someone’s tip about how to deal with dogs while riding your bike. Apparently it’s a common occurrence, especially in some of the rural areas we were riding through.

So, the takeaway: If you’re being chased by a dog, try squirting him in the eyes with your water bottle. It’ll hopefully confuse/surprise him enough to let you get away. This will be valuable information when you need it!

I also want to thank the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Director of Bicycle and Pedestrian Access, Michael E. Jackson, who kindly provided me with information about bike-friendly routes and Maryland bicycle maps.

Travels with Bike to Chincoteague

This weekend was the first time taking my bike on a trip with me, though it was a short one. We fit three bikes, three people, and all our camping gear into one minivan by removing the front wheels of each of the bikes and putting them in the car in alternating order. Our other friends drove another car and they had a bike rack for their car making things easier, especially with a bungee cord to keep wheels from moving too much in transit.

It was a blast – and very easy – riding around Chincoteague Island. Lots of bike paths, free admission into the wildlife refuge if you went by bicycle ($8 if you go by car), no need to really lock up, and tons of other people at Maddox Campground got around by bicycle too. At Maddox there were lots of RVs, but plenty of space to throw up tents as well. We chatted with our tent neighbors, a father and son from Baltimore, who decided to go for ice cream at the Creamery the same time we did. They were really pleasant guys and raved about how relaxing it was on the island and how easy it was to ride around.