"New Urbanism" Awesomeness in the City

CurbedSF

So much of what makes San Francisco (and Marin) wonderful can be filed under "New Urbanism,"  which is quite often the resurrection of old urbanism, before cars took over the universe. Now of course, as a realtor, I have and use a car, but I'm also a pedestrian and cyclist and plant lover, and a big fan of making cities more livable. Cities around the world are revitalizing using these principles, and San Francisco is definitely on the vanguard.

Cycle Chic

Today's San Francisco examples: here and here. Copenhagen has been at this for decades.  Marin, while not quite urban, does have concentrated town centers, often surrounded by protected wildlands, more on Marin in another post.

StreetsBlog

Why It's Chilly in San Francisco

KQED News

Driving back from Tahoe on Sunday, I looked longingly at the cloud wall over our fair city, so happy to be heading into the cool fog. Once here though, I felt like in the Wizard of Oz, only in reverse, from color to black and white. Unloading the car in the freezing wind in my summer clothes I felt more compassion for the underdressed tourists I passed on the way off the bridge.Oh boy, time to layer up and find some socks and some hot tea.

SFGate

Though I have lived with the fog phenomenon all my life, it never fails to shock me how quickly and dramatically the temperature can change. Thank heaven I had a t-shirt with me today, when my turtleneck sweater went from cozy to suffocating in about 5 minutes. KQED recently summed up the reasons for this, rather succinctly, but no matter how much I understand it, nor how familiar it becomes, it's still pretty nuts. Still, I'll take it over the heat elsewhere. and now, for the next twenty minutes at least, it's clear. and cool. Blessed be the beautiful San Francisco Bay Area.

Walkability Trumps Square Footage

Some dear friends recently gifted me with a fit bit, which is a fancy pedometer. The process of tracking how many steps I take (goal is 10,000 daily steps) is surprisingly energizing. Walking in this city (and Marin's towns and parks) is so entertaining, and so much less stressful then driving. Plus I can eat freely in this place of unlimited good food choices. Even when I have to drive for work, I find myself enjoying parking a little further from my destination, so I'll rack up a few more steps. Ridiculous I know, but so invigorating. So today we revisit walkability. 

SustainableCitiesNetsustainablecitiesnet

The National Association of Realtors Community Preference Survey concluded that most Americans now prefer a walkable neighborhood to a large house.  People are willing to pay more  for a location that allows them to walk or bike rather then drive everywhere.  San Francisco has recently been declared the "most walkable" city in the U.S.  Marin is pretty wonderful for walking too, and hiking.  

SFStreetBlog.org

P.S. Tomorrow is Sunday Streets in the Mission District, "a cost-effective way to improve the health of San Franciscans," as Mayor Ed Lee put it.  Plus way fun.

SFStreetsblog.org

Microclimates in Fogtown

Today in microclimate blather, we bring to you a video  from the Exploratorium's Science in the City. Most of what he is saying applies to Marin as well. Go over the other side of a hill from the coast, and you can usually get out of the fog. This spring and summer so far it's been mostly about wind.  Looks like warm and breezy for awhile, so make hay while the sun shines! For visual of the more or less real time wind situation, go to San Francisco Bay Wind Patterns. (This is a snapshot of June 27th I've inserted after realizing that since this image changes, linking to it on the site does not work.)

Pam Peirce sums it up pretty well too, and her book is really helpful to gardeners here. If you are in the real estate search, and you have dreams of growing food here, you may want to take a look. If you are set on tomatoes, I'd avoid purchasing property in most areas of 1,2,3 and 4, or else plan on a green house. Peas and chard and lettuce and kale grow great though. Same story in Marin. Forget tomatoes (maybe, in the most sheltered spots you'll have good luck with cherry tomatoes) in Bolinas, but on the east side of Tam have at it. Plenty of heat on the east side, especially in inland locations that lack direct gaps where wind and fog come through, like San Rafael and Novato.

Pam Peirce. Golden Gate Gardening: Year-Round Food Gardening in the San Francisco Bay Area and Coastal California. Sasquatch Books. 2002 

Happy Friday, whatever microclimate you find yourself in.

City Farmer News

Park Score, Chirp Score*

RolandNikles

The Trust for Public Lands recently introduced Parkscore, "with detailed profiles and interactive maps, ParkScore makes it easy to explore and compare city park systems from around the country"

Glen Canyon Park, SF

San Francisco ranked highest! Yet another reason it is wonderful to live here. Since this ranking system measures cities, Marin is not measured under Parkscore, but depending on who you listen too, the county is 50 to 90% open space, more than any other county in the SF Bay Area.

Gambolin' Man, Marin

Quality of life (health, ability to concentrate, etc) is so much higher when there is somewhere green to enjoy,  especially when you are also within walking, biking or a quick driving distance of the wonderful cultural amenities, and job opportunities, here.

*Thanks to Stacy Lamirand for "Chirp Score"