Image Source:
"Family walking golden retriever in autumn park." Photo. Visualphotos.com 10 Jan. 2012
The most successful aspect of my suburban neighborhood is the use of trails and parks. There are constantly people using the trails for an evening stroll, walking their dog, or heading toward the park with their kids. I constantly use these trails to walk my dog. By using the trails, I have met many people in my neighborhood that I normally never would have known because we don’t live very close to each other. Knowing more people in the neighborhood increases the feeling of safety and security.
The trails and parks also increase the amount of exercise people get in the neighborhood. In suburban areas, it is unlikely that residents are able to walk to the store to pick up a few groceries, run small errands, etc. Neighborhoods are so large, and shopping developments are so spread out, it would take too long to walk to the destination and back. Having these trails and parks encourages residents to head outside and get a little fresh air. It would be interesting to note the differing physical and mental aspects of people who live in urban areas, where walking to many places is normal, compared to people who live in suburban areas where we are completely reliant on vehicles to go anywhere.
Kim-
ReplyDeleteWhat a great amenity to have in a neighborhood. While we have neighborhoods surrounding us, I would personally enjoy having trails throughout to explore and meet neighbors like you mention. Does your neighborhood have HOA fees that are delegated to fund these/provide upkeep? Do you find that these trails and parks add to the value of the homes in the area and make them hot properties for those in the housing market looking to buy?
kim. where do the trails go? are their destinations, or is the destination the trail itself? do you look into neighbors back yards or front yards? how is the edge defined?
ReplyDelete[also...edit your post and give it the ides.461.p1.LASTNAME title] thank you]
ReplyDeleteKim - I think it's great to live in an area with these trails and parks. It is one thing that my neighborhood lacks as I am in a more business area of the city. I think the mindset of those living in suburban areas and urban areas probably do have different perspectives on how they would get around. Isn't it interesting how many people you meet doing something like walking your dog?
ReplyDeleteCandace,
ReplyDeleteI don't believe there are any HOA fees for upkeep of the trails or playgrounds (it's actually my parents neighborhood, so I'm not 100% positive). The upkeep is actually done through the City of Omaha. They are really good about mowing during the spring/summer/fall and plowing the trails during the winter. Unfortunately they've been having to chop a lot of trees down lately because many of them are diseased. They actually just replaced the sand in both playground areas as well. The trails do have a little impact on the price of houses near them, mostly because those houses don't have any neighbors directly behind them.
Lindsey,
Other than a way to get to the playgrounds, the trails are their own destination. Maybe they would be better classified as walking paths. They are positioned so you see the backs of the houses. There is a lot of extra land between the paths and the houses, so it looks like these homes have extremely large backyard. Most of them are not fenced, so they just guess where their backyard actually ends and the public space begins.
Brittnie,
I love meeting people and continuously running into them during my walks. I've gotten to know a lot more people in the neighborhood and also learned a lot of the gossip going on in the neighborhood :)