We talk a lot about walkability here on DM and that’s a good thing. But one thing I’ve noticed is that we tend to focus predominantly on the mechanics — is it physically possible and reasonably safe to walk from one place to another?

Don’t get me wrong. The proper infrastructure — sidewalks, crosswalks, signalization — is important, but it’s a mistake to think it’s enough to compel meaningful changes in people’s lifestyles. That’s the kind of thinking that leads one to suggest that DeKalb Industrial Blvd. has, now that they’ve laid sidewalks, become some sort of pedestrian paradise.

It hasn’t.

What it has become is a marginally safer environment for pedestrians without choices. And that’s not the same thing. Because what really defines walkability is its ability to compete as a viable mode of transportation.

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How does Decatur stack up to GOOD magazine’s recent checklist of what a “model town” looks like?

According to the mag’s Neighborhood Issue, an “excellent” town (or neighborhood) has the following characteristics:

• A Signature Event – self explanatory
• Third Places – the gathering places of a community.  Home and work are the 1st and 2nd places.
• Public Spaces – access to nature
• A Human Scale – this is basically “walkability”
• An Anchor Institution – college towns is the example given
• Diversity – not just of race or income, but thought, food, etc.

So here’s what I’ve been wondering: WHAT is Decatur’s signature event and anchor institution?  WHERE are its “third places” and public spaces?  HOW does it do in terms of human scale and diversity?