#humanscaled

[sylviaodhner]

The Shopping Center Disconnect

[sylviaodhner]

Cars and Independence

My Patreon

Update: This comic has received a lot of both positive and negative attention, and I decided to post a follow-up comic to address some of the criticism: Revisiting Independence

[sylviaodhner]

My Week Without Driving

This year I did the "Week Without Driving" challenge from America Walks. Living in a car-centric suburb, this wasn't easy. I tried to encourage other people to do it too, but a lot of them said "I can't, I have to drive someone else somewhere." ...which makes sense, because there are so many people who don't drive, even in the suburbs.

Waiting at the bus stop in the morning, I often saw people walking along a high-speed road with no sidewalk, carrying groceries. Even in places that aren't designed for walking, some people will walk anyway, because they need to get around.

I tried to find safe walking routes throughout the week, but it was harder than I expected. At one point I walked two miles out of the way to get to an event without risking my life excessively. Mostly, though, I relied on the local buses. They don't run very often, but I'm lucky to have any transit access in my suburban town.

This challenge is a great way to learn firsthand about the obstacles that non-drivers face in our communities. It happens every year, so join me next year at weekwithoutdriving.org.

[sylviaodhner]

Taking Action With Strong Towns

Go to strongtowns.org/local to get involved.

[sylviaodhner]

A Culture of Positive Change

This is the first post in my new comic series, A Human-Scaled Journey.

[sylviaodhner]

Public Transit Is an Under-Rated Experience

Public transit is the underdog in the United States, and we need to collectively invest in it if it's going to survive. If you agree, I recommend getting involved with transit advocacy groups in your area, like Transit For All PA for fellow Pennsylvanians.

[sylviaodhner]

Revisiting Independence

This is a follow-up to Cars and Independence, which has a received a lot of both positive and negative attention. In response to some of the criticism, I wanted to clarify my point so that people are less likely to dismiss it due to misinterpretation.

[sylviaodhner]

The Walk Light

Does crossing an intersection on foot have to take this long? I think we can do better. My friend Alex Zorach helped me come up with the idea for this one.