The Walkable and Liveable Communities Institute envisions healthy, connected communities with walkable streets and cities that people want to live in. Its founder, Dan Burden, has been invited to Paw Paw for a walkability audit of the downtown.
Burden, an internationally recognized authority on bicycle facilities and program, will assess the walking conditions in a number of locations, primarily downtown. He also will share ideas and concepts he has learned in more than 25 years of evaluating alternative transportation and sustainable community design.
His presentation will offer information on how communities across the United States have adapted local streets and roads to provide safety and access for pedestrians and bicyclists. His visit is funded by the Michigan Department of Transportation.
The public is invited to walk with Burden as he makes his audit. And Marcos Flores, Village Council Trustee says he hopes many people participate either in the walk or the public presentation.
The event begins at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 12 with a chance to meet Burden at Paw Paw Township Hall, 114 N. Gremps St. The audit gets under way at 2 p.m. and lasts from an hour to 90 minutes. The route is estimated to be .7 miles. No more than 30 people can accompany Burden on the audit. Those who wish to attend should contact Village Manager Larry Nielsen
here.
Burden will prepare his assessment from 3 to 5:30 p.m., at which point he will present his suggestions for the village. The presentation, which is expected to be short, will then be opened up for discussion. While he is preparing the assessment people are encouraged to explore the downtown.
"We are greatly interested in learning how we can improve our downtown area so it is pedestrian friendly and accessible to all," says Flores.
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave Media
Source: Larry Nielsen, Village of Paw Paw
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