For the guys

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

I posted this entry on b0st0n several days ago and thought I'd post that info here too. Sorry for the spam nature of it (and I'll delete if the mods want or they can delete). Last year I posted about the MWH team in this community and was able to recruit a new team member who can vouch for what a great experience it was to take part.

2011 is going to be a special year for MWH and I'd love to have some Davis Square people join the team. Remember, you can save $35 on the Komen registration fee by using the code "CURE2011".

World Car-free Day and the PARK(ing) day events are here again!

[turil.livejournal.com]

From an e-mail from Transition Somerville:

CitySmart is proud to be a part of the fabulous international holiday known as
WORLD PARK(ing) DAY; stop by six park(ing) spots on September 17!

Check out http://www.parkingday.org to see what folks
all over the world have done to transform parking spaces into temporary parks in over 50 cities.

Look like fun? Join us on FRIDAY, 9/17 as six park(ing) spots near Porter Square blossom. A map and flyer are attached. They are all on the northbound side of Mass Ave and exist for most or all of the day:

1) Cambridge Climate Emergency Action: between Day & Chester

2) Urban Homesteading: between Milton and Russell - learn and share about sustainable urban living

3) CitySmart Plays in the Street: between Russell and Hadley - hammock, book swap, games,living grass, plants from Pemberton Farms, music, recycling info, raffle with a great prize from Greenward, and of course, we hope to sign up residents of NC for our program: http://www.cambridgema.gov/citysmart

4) Boston Hoop Troop: between Beech and Allen - hula hoops, bubbles, music, chalk - http://www.bostonhooptroop.com>

5) Dancing: at University Hall - Swing dancing, lindy hop, and some ukuleles.

6) Green Streets Initiative "The Green Commute Doctor" -"Patients" will receive "prescriptions". GSI will discuss their usual mode of travel with them and write up a "prescription" for how they can go green on Walk/Ride Day (GSI's monthly event) and hopefully other days of the year - http://www.gogreenstreets.org>

See you out there!

Thanks for being CitySmart,

Jasmine Laietmark
CitySmart Outreach Coordinator

(The "attached" flyer/map can be downloaded from the website here)

Wilson Square

[gruene.livejournal.com]

Now that the paving is finally finished on Somerville Ave, it seems that the city really missed an opportunity to do something nice with Wilson Square. (That's the triangular intersection with Elm Street a bit past Porter.) While the redesign of the intersection is certainly better than the god awful mess that was there before, a larger plaza with some benches and flower beds, like what Cambridge built when they redesigned the Main Street/Mass Ave split near Central, would have really spruced up the area. That weird stub of Elm street with its lumpy ramp is unnecessary and a lot of cars disobey the rather confusing "Local Traffic only" sign. ("Local" to just the two buildings on that block?) I realize the businesses in the area are rather car-centric currently, so it's not exactly a pedestrian mecca, but it will not stay that way forever. Infrastructure should be designed with the future in mind, not just the present.