| July
2006 |
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From Bogota to Chicago, Parkways Wins Public Over How Will It Look In Three Years? |
Streets for People
Sunday Parkways is a fitness and recreational program. Importantly,
it is also a spirited community effort to return neighborhood streets
– for a few hours .Like the Ramblas in Barcelona, Strøget in Copenhagen or the piazzas of Italian cities, select Chicago boulevards will be filled with human activity: walking, bicycling, skating, jogging and picnicking. Expect plenty of buying and selling, too. In Guadalajara, the weekly Via Recreactiva attracts street vendors of all sorts. The event closes major streets for several hours each Sunday. On a June trip to the Mexican city, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation Executive Director Rob Sadowsky witnessed the economic development potential when he met business owners who told him the event was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up. On streets where shops, restaurants and cafes once were “cerrado” on Sundays, most were doing brisk business. Sadowsky traveled to Guadalajara with CBF community liaison Pete Rangel, CBF board member Lucy Gomez Feliciano and Terry Mason, M.D., commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health. They interviewed participants throughout weekend and met with event organizers. While some are inspired by economic opportunities Via Recreactiva presents, others are simply inspired. One bike mechanic working on the street told them he was not charging a fee for his services. “I do it because I like the people,” he said. “I do this as part of my commitment to the people.” The event brings families together and communities together. One family with two boys told them they had been riding in the Via Recreactiva every Sunday since last summer. “It’s just so fun,” said their oldest son. When Guadalajara introduced Via Recreactiva, users were at first reluctant to venture into strange neighborhoods. Low-income residents avoided the high-income areas and vice-versa, Sadowsky said. “But that changed. People got curious,” he said. Now the city is an open book to all Guadalajareños, transcending class and boundaries across the metropolis. Sunday Parkways also offers opportunities for young people seeking to bolster their work experience. Guadalajara Via Recreactiva is staffed by volunteers who earn school credit, for example. If we draw on the Guadalajara model, young people will be the life-blood of the event, but the car-free, gentle nature of Sunday Parkways makes it inviting to all ages. David Callahan is Bike Traffic managing editor
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