Category Archives: New Urbanism

Seniors want walkability, too, survey says

Posted on July 29, 2017 by Amy Ginsburg

Comments Off on Seniors want walkability, too, survey says

We assume millennials prefer walkability and urban living for all the right reasons: social cohesion and community, better access to entertainment, services, and jobs. So why do we assume that older Americans and senior citizens, who also value connectivity, community, and healthy living, wouldn’t prefer the same living arrangement?

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Posted on July 10, 2017 by Amy Ginsburg

2 Comments

To make White Flint better for business, make the streets safer

By Amy Ginsburg (Guest Contributor), Pete Tomao (Contributor) July 7, 2017 14

A missing crosswalk on Old Georgetown Road. Photo by Dan Reed. Image licensed under Creative Commons.

In 2010, Montgomery County passed the White Flint Master Plan with hopes to turn the area into a transit-oriented destination.…

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Amy Ginsburg

1 Comment

How can we make it safer for pedestrians, brand the Pike District, and beautify our neighborhood with inexpensive paint, some creativity, and a bit of flexibility from MCDOT and SHA? With eye-catching crosswalks like these. It’s easy, it’s cheap, and it’s wonderful. I can’t imagine any reason why we wouldn’t we do this.…

Posted on June 7, 2017 by Amy Ginsburg

5 Comments

This event will be held rain or shine.

Will we see you tonight at 7:30 pm at the White Flint metro station? Join us for an informative and entertaining tour of the Pike District focused on what makes it easier or more difficult to walk safely and conveniently in our community.…

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Amy Ginsburg

Comments Off on Walk with us on Walkable Wednesdays!

Come join Friends of White Flint and Coalition for Smarter Growth on two special walking tours on Walkable Wednesdays. Learn what makes it pleasant … and what makes it more difficult … to walk safely around the Pike District/White Flint area. This informative and fun tour is part of our Pike District Pedestrian Campaign.…

Posted on April 14, 2017 by Amy Ginsburg

Comments Off on Maryland Passes Bill to Make it Easier to Form a BID

The state legislature just passed a bill making it easier to form Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in Montgomery County. The bill lowers from 80% to 51% the number of property owners’ signatures needed to create a BID.

The White Flint Downtown Advisory Committee and the Greater Bethesda Chamber actively worked to pass the BID bill so that the Pike District can one day form a BID to promote and activate the White Flint area. …

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Amy Ginsburg

Comments Off on Lessons from Bethesda and Wisconsin Avenue

Bethesda Magazine published a terrific story about how design and geography affect walkability. The article is titled, “Lessons Learned from Wisconsin Avenue, A tour of downtown Bethesda’s main street is eye-opening.”

There are lessons for the Pike District, too, as we share many pluses (transit, retail, new development) and minuses (traffic, Route 355, design that favors cars) with Bethesda.…

Posted on March 31, 2017 by Amy Ginsburg

Comments Off on The Future of Aging Office Buildings

Montgomery Planning Department publishes an interesting blog called The Third Place. In planning, the third place is the social realm separate from home and the workplace, an inclusive forum for dialogue crucial for civic engagement and community building.

One of their recent blogs discussed the future of aging office buildings.…

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Amy Ginsburg

Comments Off on Why Walkable Works

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Posted on March 6, 2017 by Amy Ginsburg

Comments Off on Why the Death of the ‘Burbs is Great for the Pike District

The suburbs as we’ve known them ever since Lucy and Ricky moved to the country are dying. And that means great success for the Pike District.

You don’t need to a Ph.D in economics to know that our reliance on e-commerce has resulted in the closing a wide variety of bricks and mortar stores.…