What do other communities have that we can learn from?

Pullman, Washington

Pullman, Washington is home to Washington State University. The population of Pullman is just about 35,000. It is has a charming downtown, and is surrounded by miles of rolling wheat fields.


Social Bikes (SoBi) platform for bike sharing. Shared bikes are important to convert trips from driving to biking for anyone who is visiting an area. These are popular with students and tourists alike as well as locals when taking a quick trip for an errand during work hours or while entertaining guests.
Quick Build: Took a single parking space and created outdoor seating!
Use a steep paper right of way. In this case the route creates a great walking and biking connection between town and WSU.
Looks like a quick build design for increased outdoor seating during a pandemic.
Add placemaking along pathways!
Tie in cultural heritage, and support local artists!

Take advantage of features already available to you – here a river and land along both sides – to connect your community. The pathways and parks created along the Palouse River increase Pullman’s identity, brings residents together (during the planning, constructing, and enjoying phases). And never underestimate the power of one person to make a difference in your community. Note this was not a city led effort, but a community led effort. Check out the Pullman Civic Trust!

Closing a street can create public space. In this case it looks like the street complicated an already skewed intersection that has a traffic signal. This space could be activated by allowing food carts, adding a performance corner for community bands, choirs, etc.

 

Categories: USA

Robin

Robin Lewis is a transportation engineer for a medium-sized but rapidly growing city, Bend, Oregon. She has worked together with other staff to: create the City's bicycling master plan which includes a mapped network of low-stress bicycling routes; normalize the use of roundabouts over traffic signals (Bend has 43 and counting); and update the city's standards to require low-stress walking and bicycling facilities, including cross-walks.

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