Or is it the past?  Just heard about a new book by Christopher B. Leinberger called The Option of Urbanism

I haven’t read it yet, but the basic premise is that people want walkable cities and are showing it by wear they are deciding to live.  This argument dovetails nicely with the Michigan Future report which shows that knowledge workers are flocking towards metropolitan areas.

If the winds of change are blowing, in many ways they are blowing us back to where we’ve been.  Traditional cities had to be walkable because most people didn’t have cars (or they weren’t invented yet).  So maybe the idea of a walkable city is actually a conservative idea rather than a progressive one.  Interesting, hmm?

Here’s a recap of Feb’s RAT from Frank Schwende:

A Review of the February 15 RAT

Bitter cold temperatures and falling darkness could not keep the undaunted RAT pack from taking to the streets again for the 5th monthly Ride Around Town.  Although recent snows had left the sidestreets slick with hard-packed snow and ice, the city streets were clear and dry.  This is often the case.  The predicted 1-3 inches of snow during the afternoon never materialized.  That’s also often the case.  This winter, the only riding factor we could count on was the darkness, and our reflective gear and powerful bike lights insured our high visibility to motorized traffic.  Conditions were cold and dark, but we felt very, very safe riding the streets of downtown Ann Arbor.

We specifically worked at not sailing through intersections.  At the Catherine/4th Street intersection in Kerrytown, we all did our toe- downs in the left-turn lane, and the single motorist at the intersection waved us through.  There was some confusion with a traffic snarl on 4th that had a city bus stuck in a line of cars to the center of the lane.  Leading the ride, I wanted to be sure the driver knew we would go around to the clear lane on the right.  The incident highlighted the need to be able to improvise on the spot and be safe by signalling your intentions to other drivers (a bus driver in this case).  We got by this situation safely and never felt threatened.

Nasty big chuck-holes are sprouting on city streets!  Riding after sunset demands a bright spot headlight to be able to see some of these obstructions on some of the less well lit city streets.  Of course, who would ride at night without a headlight?  Light up!  It’s the law!

Next RAT is March 14, 6 PM, starting at Liberty Plaza Park.  Hope to see more riders!  And maybe some walkers with cowbells!

As a year ’round cyclist, I know the importance of good winter gear for my commute.

Some essential items:

• Windproof mittens (I got a great pair for $20 at Sam’s).
• Insulated and Waterproof boots (both good for the cold factor and so your nice work shoes don’t get messy).
• Wind and waterproof jacket and pants (I treated mine with that waterproofing spray).
• When it gets really cold, I wear a snow suit, which insulates and protects from the wind.
• Some sort of combination hat/scarf/balaclava that covers both the head and the chin.  A cold chin is no fun!
• Lots of Zippers so you can unzip a layer when you get hot.

For more ideas, check out this post on Life Hacker discussing the Best Gear for Winter Cycling.