Steve Wright wrote:

As a planner and planning storyteller, I love walkable places; mixed-use, wide sidewalks; bike paths; premium transit; parks; transit-oriented development; compact development; and the like. But for many years, I wasn’t good at practicing what I preached.

Then COVID hit and I could work from home, so I wasn’t in the car to commute to an office.

...

I took advantage of living between two major urban corridors—Miami’s Calle Ocho and Coral Way—and walked to pharmacies, markets, hardware stores, and other places for daily needs.

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When we wanted to go someplace outdoors and different, we drove. But we did what planners strive for in 24-7 downtowns and Main Streets: We parked the car once and walked—all over Brickell, Coconut Grove, Miami Beach, Coral Gables, and beyond.

When it was safe to travel to Manhattan for a major project in May (after I got the second dose of the COVID vaccine), I vowed to not take a taxi, car service, or rideshare…even from JFK. I used transit. 

I stopped in Jackson Heights on the way into Manhattan and walked all over that diverse neighborhood. Instead of using two train connections, I walked further to catch a train that would get me to within five blocks of my destination. I used the ferry to go to Long Island City and I ran along all the relatively-new public spaces and parks on the East River, with spectacular skyline views to the west.

Back home, we are very close to transitioning from a two-car to one-car family. 

The payoff for all of this?

Today, I weigh 175 pounds. I just had a physical and dozens of measures of health are in the upper (good) percentile for a 55+ man.

A year and a half ago, I weighed 310 pounds...

I do the steps now. My joints don’t hurt. I don’t sweat standing still, and I haven’t been sick since I started to take advantage of the urban lifestyle, healthy living plan.

Compact development and investing in existing Main Streets and the city core works.