Urbanist Article Wed Mar 9

As urbanists, we talk a lot about the importance of walkability — but maybe not enough about the pleasures it can bring. Last year, we invited San Francisco walkers to muse on the subject. This issue, we extend the invitation to Oaklanders. Their stories are below.

Lots of people have written songs about Broadway — okay maybe they were about a different Broadway — but still I hum them as I’m walking. In the evenings after work, when the marquee at the Paramount is lit, I hum George Benson, but during the day it’s usually James Taylor because this is the place for “watching the people, watching the town go down.”