The Hunker Down List
We’re all about winter cities and staying active year round - but it’s frostbite level cold out there. So, as you batten down the hatches and hunker down, here are some things to keep you informed and entertained.
The latest 99% Invisible episode - on shade, inequity, and environmental design.
“In other neighborhoods that have been redlined, that were designed as worker housing that were meant to jam people in together, you don’t have these kinds of wide residential sidewalks, instead of what you have are very narrow sidewalks because these neighborhoods are designed to facilitate automobile passage. So if you have a narrow sidewalk, you don’t really have the space to plant a thick leafy tree. Furthermore, it’s been incumbent upon property owners and renters to maintain this semi-public space of the parkway. You would think that in a city, whatever is on the sidewalk, whatever is outside of the property line would be managed by the city. That is not historically been the case in Los Angeles. It’s been incumbent upon property owners to water trees to maturity and to maintain them. If there’s a tree there, it’s because someone has taken it upon themselves to water it to maturity and to care for it.”
The latest Sprawlcast episode - on the corner store and community
“The store was a hub for the community. People would come in here and just hang out. They wouldn't actually buy anything or need anything. They would just come for conversation with other people or to ask who a plumber was or to say, "Hey, listen, I haven't seen my neighbour in a week. Have you seen them?"“
Internationally renowned public health expert Dr. Karen Lee’s latest book - Fit Cities - on health & where you live
“This is not a typical health book. You won’t find diet advice in these pages, or tips about exercise, supplements, or gut microbes. There isn’t a yoga seqence in sight. And you won’t read a word about meditation, or the relative dangers of fat, sugar, and salt. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’re in the wrong place. But before you put this book back on the shelf and go in search of something that has 365 smoothie recipes, I’d ask you to reconsider. This is a book about health. It’s about your health, and the health of the city or town in which you live. Because - make no mistake - the two are intimately connected.”
Calgary Active Transportation Advocate Lindsay Bliek - on winter biking for beginners
Winter Ride: A beginners handbook
“Tip #1: Just do it, Tip #2: Keep it simple, Tip #3: Wear what you’ve got, Tip #4: Protect extremities, Tip #5: Bike maintenance, Tip #6: Brake check, Tip #7: Tires 101, Tip #8: Braking, Tip #9: Know your limit, play within it, Tip #10: Joy”
Stay warm out there folks!
