The Walkable Community

In the week that we've been in Victoria, we have so far walked over 50 km, just around James Bay, the downtown, and Beacon Hill Park. Ken commented that he enjoys walking here, but not at home. This has led me to think about "what makes for a walkable community"?

There is no doubt that in James Bay, people walk. So what is it about James Bay that has led to people walking?

Here are a few thoughts:

Aesthetics

James Bay is beautiful. Even if a person is not paying attention to the aesthetics of the way the community has been developed, I think that the beauty unconsciously sinks in.  So many houses have been painted in attractive colours, and landscaped with sensitivity. Here are just a couple of examples.

Here is a bit more detail of the house above. The burgundy of the dogwood on the left contrasts beautifully with the creamy yellow paint. The gentle touch of the peach door adds the right amount of colour to warm up the building, and the steps and sidewalk add more warmth to the overall effect.

Here is an example of a house painted much more gaily.

If you zoom in on the plaque beneath the window, you'll see the building has been designated a City of Victoria Heritage Building.

One more image showing the aesthetics of the buildings and landscaping:

In the image above is an element that I'll say more about later in this post, the garden art with the plastic kitchen spoons.

Scale

Yes, there are high rises in James Bay, some that, from a distance, have few redeeming qualities, exposing broad flat facades with no break-up of the harsh lines of the structure. Nonetheless, most high rises have a "soft" edge to them, and, so far, the number of high rises is in proportion to the scale of the rest of the community. Here are some images taken on this snowy day in Victoria which illustrate this.

As well, much of the "densification" in James Bay is being accomplished by keeping the existing buildings, and adding more to the back or sides. 

Here are two more shots of higher density housing, showing the contrast and complexity of landscaping which adds to the human scale.

Part of scale is retaining the heritage flavour of Victoria. Here is a church that is now a private residence. The fencing is to keep urban chickens. 

Diversity

James Bay has so much diversity to keep a walker interested.

One of its attractions is small-scale commercial development within the community! A person does not have to get into a car, or onto a bus, to go to the grocery store, the bank, the drugstore, the liquor store. Niagara Grocery stands alone on Niagara Street. In many cities, this is just not possible in our suburban development model which concentrates commercial development at the intersection of busy corridors. For years I have thought that this approach to urban planning was opposite to what people want. Niagara Grocery proves that stores can survive without having to be located in a central mall.

James Bay Village is in the centre of the community, located for ease of access by people walking, not the edge of the community where ease of access by cars is the criterion. The "Village" is so busy that the aisles of the Thrifty's Store are often jammed, to the point that it is almost impossible to navigate them. I have only been in the new Red Barn grocery store (a few blocks away) once but I am sure it will thrive just because the capacity of the Village is close to its maximum.

James Bay thrives with coffee shops and life. These coffee shops host musical jam nights, philosophical discussions, and conversation. I am reminded of my childhood images of what it might have been like in the Latin Quarter in Paris in the early 20th century.

I took the photo of the Starbucks because of the recycling container inside. In Salmon Arm, the Starbucks there told me they were not able to recycle their coffee cups. Not so in Victoria!

Another part of the diversity of the community is the various ways people have made their gardens and sidewalks interesting. I still have yet to explore the full range of what people are doing. Here are a few examples.

The two photos below are of funky art done with painting rocks. You can see more, and get still more of a flavour of James Bay, by visiting the website http://rock-art.ca/index.html

I enjoyed the imagination and creativity of these creations; the bees on the music score, and the cut orange, just drew me in!

When I first saw this tree, with the sunlight catching the hanging teacups, I thought they were magnolia blossoms.

Flowers

Victoria is known as the City of Blossoms, with flowers blooming year-round. The streets are adorned with colour from winter heathers, and many species whose names I don't know.

The Ocean and the Park

And of course, part of James Bay's attractiveness is created by the presence of the walk along Dallas Road, the ever-changing ocean, and the myriad of pathways through Beacon Hill Park. A person can easily move out of the streets, and onto a pathway through the diverse gardens of Beacon Hill Park, or down onto the rocks below Dallas Road and smell the ocean. 

Beacon Hill Park is a presence along Douglas Street, where rock outcrops add interest.

The smaller scale of the streetscapes of James Bay is balanced by the huge ocean vista which is a constant presence along Dallas Road.

So, there are a few of my thoughts of what makes for a walkable community. James Bay has them all!