Some years ago I read New Zealand economist Marilyn Waring's Book "Counting For Nothing", and watched the follow up documentary "Who's Counting". She has now brought out a follow up book called "Still Counting" with the bi-line "What We Decide to Measure Now is What We Will Prioritize in the Future". Ms. Waring points out that as long as countries use GDP as their main measure of a country's progress; and from that, what the United Nations System of National Accounts (UNSNA) chooses to include in its accounting framework to measure GDP; shapes a country's policies. As long as the UNSNA framework places hurricanes and wars on the positive side of the ledger because of the money spent and earned, but does not count the devastation and loss on the opposite side of the ledger because it isn't measured, then how will we ever produce policies that prioritize general well being and ecological health of our communities?

I have just started to read the book but the thought I woke up with this morning is that in addition to the concept that what we measure impacts our policies; if we create policies but don't put measurements in place to monitor those policies then they will never become priorities.

As an example here in New Rochelle we have a policy document GreeNR, the city's sustainability plan 2010 - 2030. It is an excellent plan, well thought out, created by a group of knowledgeable residents and city staff. It includes ten big goals plus an Action Plan covering topics from Energy and Climate, Resource Conservation and Waste Reduction, through to Transportation and Public Participation and Awareness. Each area of the plan lays out initiatives and goals. For example a waste reduction goal is to "Reduce annual per capita non-recycled solid waste by at least 15% from 777 pounds to 660.5 pounds and increase recycling rate to 50%". This is a clear and measurable goal however the department in charge of waste management does not have the tools to measure progress of this goal. If cities truly want to achieve well being for all residents, and to make inroads on the broader issue of sustainability, policy makers must not just set policy but provide the tools to both implement and measure progress on these policies. Only then will those policies become priories.

 So I went to my city's webiste, ​http://newrochelleny.com/   and looked up the 2018 budget. This is a gold mine of information about New Rochelle.  

Municipalities don't have it easy. There is tension between elected officials with an election cycle achievement window, and the need for long term management of city assets.  As Charles Marohn of Strong Towns so eloquently puts it:  "Cities routinely trade near-term cash advantages associated with new growth for long-term financial obligations associated with maintenance of infrastructure". 

Growth is pretty irresistible to cash starved municipalities. If they are lucky enough to have developers asking to build and promising new sewer lines, new roads, and increases to the city's tax base, it is hard for a municipality to say, "wait, let's make sure this development is going to be good for our community long term", much less refusing the development all together. It is so much better to be able to show some shiny new initiatives and increased tax revenues especially when re-election rolls around. And who can blame them? There are short term needs to be met. Garbage to be collected, potholes to be repaired, schools to pay for. That short term revenue is important. The problem is whether the long term returns are adequate to cover the increased infrastructure burden. Sadly, it often is not.

This is where we residents come in. Our job is to ask the hard questions to determine whether the spangly rainbow the developer is holding up is leading us to a pot of gold or a sink hole. Local governments don't always have the capacity to undertake long term analysis and also don't have the time, or maybe more accurately don't believe they have the time, to analyze that rainbow fully before it fades away and lands in some other municipality willing to stake claim more quickly to that pot of rainbow gold. 

After a long break away from Urban Afoot while I was working for the City of New Rochelle, I am starting my New Year Resolution early - to get back on line to talk about urban issues.

I often hear people saying they don't like something about their community and then follow it up by saying there is nothing they can do about it, their city council members and city hall are going to do whatever they want anyway. I disagree. There are many things we can do and as we have learned in recent times, democracy is not a spectator sport. So where to start? Let's take a quick look at local rules.

I am a member of the American Planning Association book club and we recently read City Rules by Emily Talen. The subheading of her book is "How Regulations Affect Urban Form". While this may not sound very interesting to many, most municipalities are regulated through their city codes and if you don't like something about the way your municipality is operating, most likely it is the city code that you will want to change.

City codes have been used for good and for not so good. Some were put in place to protect the wealthy, others have been put in place to protect health and well being, still others to protect the vulnerable. They affect the urban pattern - subdivisions, street width, layout, housing, and the spatial arrangement of zoning districts. They affect how land can be used and what use is located where. And they affect form - building lines, setbacks, lot coverage. Form essentially defines space.

A city's code also defines rules for all kinds of things ranging from parking, cemeteries and the sale of Christmas trees.

​For example New Rochelle's city code has a section specifically related to the Salvation Army and when it can solicit contributions in December of each year. City codes are updated regularly as the need or desire arises. Some rules, however, are of long standing. For example New Rochelle under Chapter 231 Peace and Good Order was first adopted in 1965 and includes Article 1 Missiles, Beanshooters and Skateboards that states:

"No bean shooter or other instrument for throwing bullets, stones or beans shall be sold or offered for sale; nor shall any bean shooter or other such instrument be used by any person for throwing bullets, stones or other missiles nor be carried by any person; nor shall any person throw or cast any stone, stick or other missile in, from or to any street or public place.

No person shall use or operate a skateboard in any of the public streets, sidewalks or public places within the City.
§ 231-2Penalties for offenses. [1]
An offense against the provisions of this article shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $250 or by imprisonment for not more than 15 days, or both.
[1]
Editor's Note: Added at time of adoption of Code."

I recommend taking a look at your municipality's code, parts will make good sense, parts are probably outdated, and some parts you may want to change. Codes are living documents that affect our day to day lives and as times change, so too should the code.  So while you are enjoying some time off over the holiday period, go on line and check out your local rules. Leave me a message if you find one you think is either excellent, superfluous, or just downright odd.

I've been feeling pretty pleased that our challenge of walking all the streets of New Rochelle is now entering the mop up phase of small pockets to finish with the bulk of streets completed, and then I saw this from Shorpy.  Walking Coast to Coast 'for his health'.  How would that be now?  Plenty of bridges and highways pedestrians are banned from that could make it something of an obstacle course.

Despite our New Rochelle undertaking being dwarfed by this long ago walk I am still pleased we have stuck with our own Walk Your Community Challenge.  We have seen a lot and learned a lot about where we live and even in a small city it is fascinating to see the differences between neighborhoods and the ways public space is used.  More on this later.

We were back at Ridge Hill yesterday, a brand new, in fact uncompleted, shopping center on the top of a hill - which probably gave rise to the tautological name - in Yonkers.  The design is sadly 20th Century with remarkably narrow sidewalks and a main street with short term free parking on both sides where passengers stepping out of a vehicle get to balance on a very narrow paved strip or stand in the plantings that run between the road edge and the sidewalk.  If you have mobility issues, or need a wheelchair, forget it. 

On this visit there were noticeably more shoppers and as the whole development is not super big most people leave their cars in the ample parking buildings surrounding the main street and walk between the stores.  Only as the sidewalks fill up it becomes less of a walk and more of a shuffle trying to avoid the street furniture, the plantings, baby strollers, and fellow pedestrians while traffic controllers wearing vests with "pedestrian safety" written on the back do their best to manage both the pedestrians and the cars at the intersections.  Why did the developers not follow the Woodbury Commons example and make the space between the stores pedestrian only???  Why anyone was bothering to drive down the main street instead of using one of the parking buildings is a mystery to me.  I can only assume it falls under the "because it was there" school of thinking. And while at least pedestrians have sidewalks however inadequate, I saw no cycle lanes at all.

The photo immediately below is Ridge Hill and the one below that is Woodbury Commons.

What I don't understand is how appalling designs like Ridge Hill continue to be built.  The Basin Reserve flyover, a nasty piece of vandalism proposed to run along the edge of an historic cricket ground is being championed by the New Zealand Transport Agency as a necessary piece of infrastructure designed to speed cars into downtown Wellington and back out to the airport. The Agency is ignoring studies in NZ and elsewhere that conclude that the number of cars being driven are decreasing. The weird thing is that the Agency understands enough of the new trend to include a combined pedestrian and cycle way in the flyover design.  It is on one side of the flyover only and is only 3 meters wide (that's less than 10 feet for those still thinking imperial).  It is supposed to handle cyclists and pedestrians travelling in both directions.  Seems like a not very subtle, and a not very safe, piece of lip service to me.

Just to drive the point home if you will excuse the pun, here's a piece from Price Tags about the huge number of unsold cars just hanging out in various parts of the world waiting for enthusiastic drivers to show up with fat wallets. Click on the link below to read the article.
They Just Keep Piling Up 
The photo below is from the same article and shows something of the scale.  It is time to start designing more inclusively, and time for the car manufacturers and car sales yards to scale back.  I'm not anti car but we can do better with our land use in relation to transport choices.

From The City of New Rochelle's website

Snow Removal Responsibility
 In accordance with Section 281-4 of the City Code, it is the responsibility of every owner or occupant of any house or other building and any vacant lot, to keep the sidewalk and fire hydrants clear and clean from snow, ice, and dirt. Snow and ice must be removed from sidewalk abutting their property and fire hydrants before 12:00 noon of the day after any snow fall which occurs during the night. It is a violation of the City Code to place snow into the street or abutting sidewalk.

FAQs from New Rochelle's city website
When are the snow plows sent out?
 The plow operators are dispatched immediately at the beginning of a storm and stay out continually during the storm. They are responsible for clearing over 176 miles of City roads. 

Which streets are plowed first?
 Snow plows first clear primary and major artery streets, school streets, and streets serving emergency response facilities and heavy traffic. 

After those roads are clear, secondary streets are cleared and streets with moderate traffic. Lastly, all other streets, including cul-de-sacs and dead-end streets, are plowed. After a major storm, it may take two to three days for plow crews to clear all the streets. 

What can I do if snow is blocking access to my mail box or driveway?
 During snow plowing operations, the snow from the street will end up in front of driveways and mailboxes. The property owner is responsible for access to his/her individual driveway or mailbox. 

The only way to avoid extra shoveling is to wait until the Public Works crews have done their final clean-up on the street. 

What is my responsibility for snow removal?
 In accordance with Section 281-4 of the City Code, it is the responsibility of every property owner or occupant to keep the sidewalk and fire hydrants clear from snow, ice and dirt. Snow and ice must be removed from sidewalk abutting their property and fire hydrants before 12 noon of the day after any snowfall which occurs during the night.


Nowhere is there anything relating to the clearing of snow from street corners and curb cuts.  It is not even tossed in next to mail boxes and driveways.  And if you do clear a curb cut you it is a violation to put the snow on the street or on an abutting sidewalk.  And the snow plows mound up a LOT of snow on the corners. 

My question is this.  If New Rochelle has made a commitment to inclusive transportation (see GreeNR and Complete Streets 2012 resolution) including issuing this statement: 

"Facilitate and encourage the use of sustainable transportation options, including walking, bicycling, carpooling and mass transit, while also reducing traffic congestion and enhancing the safety and efficiency of transportation routes." (p 16 GreeNR)


....then why is it that the regulations for snow removal do not require SOMEONE - city or residents - responsible for making sure pedestrians can cross streets?  It is hard enough as an able bodied person but imagine trying to negotiate these conditions in a wheel chair, or pushing a stroller, or without sight.  

It is time municipalities did more than simply planning for inclusive transportation.  It is time to take action and develop policies and procedures that reflect their approved plans and resolutions.