UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
Date: 30 June 2008
I, Naashom Marx, hereby submit this work as part of the requirements for the degree of: Master in Community Planning in: The School of Planning; College of Design, Art, Architecture and P lanning
It is entitled: Urban Hiking Guides: A tool for asset-based community development.
This work and its defense approved by:
Chair: Chris Auffrey, PH.D. Faculty: Carla Chifos, PH. D.
Urban Hiking Guides
A tool for asset-based community development.
Naashom Marx B.A. Liberal Arts
Photo by Miranda Beckman
Submitted for Requirements of Masters of Community Planning
School of Planning, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio
COMMITTEE:
Chair: Chris Auffrey, Ph. D.
Advisor: Carla Chifos, Ph. D.
June 2008 Abstract
Urban hiking guides can be a useful tool in the revitalization of a community. Asset- based Community Development works well in the planning of an urban hiking guide.
Effective guides are clear, simple, easy to use and easily available. Guides function as planning tools, promoting citizen involvement, creating local pride and interest while encouraging physical activity and healthier living. An urban hiking guide can be
a community wide effort.
This study analyzes various guides. The analysis is based on particular assets and
ideas identified in literature that make urban hiking guides useful in asset-based
community development. Urban hiking guides can assist planners in highlighting
assets while involving the community in their work.
Ideally this study will be used as the start of a handbook for communities. The
handbook could be placed on a website for the communities. This way it can always
be updated with lessons learned by the communities.
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Acknowledgement
I would like to thank several people for their support during the process of this study.
If it were not for these people, who listened patiently and endlessly, I would have
never have unveiled a subject that I am passionate about, that blends my personal
beliefs, and experiences with my planning education and community development research. First I need to thank my family and friends who supported me tirelessly.
My wonderful parents push me to explore the world and then tie me to a chair in front
of the computer. Living back home with them these past years has been both
positive and negative. I must admit that considering my overly social personality, I
would not have finished this study without them. The idea would have never come to
me if it were it not for my dear friend, Li Alligood, who inspired me to take urban hikes
and I thank her for taking me on that hike on December 31, 2007, the hike that
inspired me to research urban hiking guides. Dr. Chris Auffrey and Dr. Carla Chifos
are wonderful professors who helped me and showed me how to take a wild idea and
create a sensible study. Their help as mentors and knowledge sharers is invaluable.
These professors teamed together to help a generally confused student, new to the
system of research complete a thesis study. If it was not for their help I would still be
lost in the system. I also want to thank Dr. Edelman for giving me the confidence to
complete a study in a short amount of time and for his enthusiastic sole to stretch
the boundaries. Whenever I felt nervous to bring up a topic or exhibited outrageous
behavior, he was always enthusiastic and supportive. There are so many wonderful
people who I care for deeply in my life who have given me support through this
project. The list would become too long, but you know who they are. Thank you!
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Table of Contents Page
Abstract iii
Acknowledgement v
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
Chapter 2: Literature Review 7
Chapter 3: Study Methodology 25
Chapter 4: Assessing Urban Hiking Guides 29
Chapter 5: Importance of Attributes in Urban Hiking Guides 40
Chapter 6: Scores 51
Chapter 7: Conclusion 53
References 56
Appendix 60
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List of Figures Page
Figure 1: Guide Book and Community Characteristics 27
Figure 2: Pittsburgh Guide 29
Figure 3: Ashville Guide 30
Figure 4: Chicago-In and Around the Loop 30
Figure 5: Covington Guide 31
Figure 6: Georgetown Guide 32
Figure 7: Not for Tourists Chicago 33
Figure 8: Toronto Trails 34
Figure 9: Baltimore Guide 35
Figure 10: Brooklyn Guide 36
Figure 11: L. A. Guide 37
Figure 12: Cincinnati Guide 38
Figure 13 Washington D. C. Guide 39
Figure 14: Map from NFT 47
Figure 15: Cover of Walking Brooklyn 48
Figure 16: Mutter Gottes 48
Figure 17: Brooklyn Map 49
Figure 18: Mount Adams Map 49
Figure 19: Asheville Urban Trail 50
Figure 20 Drawing 50
Figure 21: Scores 51
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Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION
Urban: of, relating, characteristic of, or constituting a city
Hike: a long walk especially for pleasure or exercise
Revitalize: to give new life or vigor
(Source: Merriam, 2008)
Do these words relate? Taking a long walk in a city can bring new vigor to an individual and a community. One of the best ways to learn and experience a new city is to walk the city.
Riding in a car through a city does not give you the same experience. Walking the Steps of
Cincinnati (DuSablon, 1998) is an urban trail guide that supports this theory. Growing up in the area I thought that I knew all there was to know about Cincinnati. Following “Walk No.4, the Science Stroll,” was an enlightening experience. I had always known that steps connected the heart of downtown Cincinnati to the residential areas immediately north, but was told they were only used by the homeless and drug users, I was told to avoid them.
Exploring the Mount Adams and Walnut Hills areas of Cincinnati on foot through the use of the guide is invigorating, pleasurable, and great exercise right in the city limits. Detailed doorways and sidewalk markers record historic times of the city. A unique little hamburger stand would have never been experienced if it was not for taking that first stair path walk from the guide, as I typically would drive the area. The only negative aspect of the guide,
Walking the Steps of Cincinnati was the size and the binding method of the book which made it awkward to use. It did however connect the stair pathways and streets beautifully.
Does walking through a community give a different experience of the area than driving?
Driving at high speeds inside the confines of a vehicle, it is hard to appreciate the character
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of a community. The community can look unused, scary, run down, and inconsequential.
Walking a community gives one a face to face encounter and fear is taken away. You can
see things for what they were and currently are. It is then possible to see what things can
become. Walking through areas typically ignored can start a process of revitalization.
Walking an urban setting creates a relationship between the individual and the setting.
Numerous advantages drive community members and publishers to create guides. Urban
hiking guides get people out of their cars and encourage walking through cities. They help
the resident to find recreation within their own locality rather than the need to head out of
the city. An effective urban hiking guide has planned routes with predetermined areas that
look to assets of the community as points of interest for participants to stop. Specific
themes, information en route, proactive quotes, invitations to engage with the landscape and the community, as well as instilling a questioning of participants both directly and indirectly, can engage all walks of life (Dove, 1997).
This research will examine how a community can be revitalized with urban trail planning and how walkability can assist in sustainable revitalization. Many communities fabricate areas for pedestrians. Roads are blocked off from traffic. Large chain restaurants and stores are built within new boundaries to create pedestrian malls. People leave their own communities and travel to these malls for recreation and to spend their money. Art and architecture is then created within those areas to make them interesting. If one really thinks about it, one might call it a “vitalization”, but not revitalization. This form of vitalization often ignores all that is in the history of the area. It is revitalization without soul.
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Alternatively other communities look at what assets they currently have. The best local restaurants, shops, hang outs, art, architecture and hidden community treasures are connected through foot paths of different sorts. The old is linked to the new. Community pride is important. This study looks at revitalization that explores a community’s assets. The existing assets are built upon, incorporating culture, history, physical geography, art and architecture from the past and present. It is an interactive community where participants must give and take, where physical activity is included. This form of revitalization educates, inspires and contributes to physical health.
As part of this research, a systematic search was undertaken on the Internet and in book stores for guide books of many U.S. cities. Ten urban hiking guides were chosen. Each guide was different, highlighting different things. Why was this? What made the creators of the books think that their way was good? Was it a community member who just did what made sense to him, or was it a publisher who saw a lucrative idea? Some of the books were interesting, some confusing, and others just plain useless. This is why my research on design prescribes the analysis of books, pamphlets and websites from various cities to identify the best practices for producing and urban hiking guide.
This study provides:
1. Information about how an Urban Hiking Guide can assist in revitalization
2. Assets a community will want to look for when surveying the neighborhood area in
preparing for creation of an urban hiking guide
3. Examples of best practices for producing an urban hiking guide.
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My hope is this research will assist communities who want to create urban hiking guides.
They can look at my research to help them decide on format and content. They can take an inventory of the assets within their community and see various ways that these can be highlighted through an urban hiking guide.
This study will assist in educating community members, planners, policy makers and finance advisors with tools to analyze, advocate, create and publish a useful tool for their community. This tool will help the community recognize and display assets they currently have. These tools combined with community efforts have the potential to revitalize a community.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Many urban communities suffer from disinvestment and missed opportunities. Urban areas spend money on creating new assets that can be expensive and disruptive to a community.
Why create assets when it is possible to discover assets existing in the community? Urban hiking guides can provide an opportunity to overcome disinvestment and stop missed opportunities. A tool such as an urban hiking guide can help a community discover and appreciate the hidden treasures in the community.
With a world obsessed with vehicles too many people only see the city through a car window.
Rarely do these drivers and passengers get out appreciating the space around them. As a consequence cities often lack the civic pride that can be gained through exploring a community by foot.
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Assets may be small but powerful. Every community has assets. Not all of them are seen
from the road. They have to be viewed up close in a creative way. A map with the assets on
it is helpful. How can we take this a step further? Guided walks and tours can be created,
combined, and developed into an urban hiking guide for the community to learn about, build
upon and appreciate assets already in the community in a healthy active way.
The problems of our “drive - through” culture raises several important questions. Can a
community come together to create a good guide book emphasizing the pedestrian level
assets of the community? How should the information in the guide book be displayed in order to have its greatest impact? What information in the guide book is most important and useful?
The specific objectives of this research are as follows:
Objective 1: Understand the best practices for creating urban hiking guides with
respect to content, writing, and design.
Objective 2: Provide recommendations on how to create an effective urban hiking
guide.
In the next chapter the literature looking at asset-based development, walkability and their relationship to urban hiking guides is reviewed. The following chapter describes the methodology employed to achieve the specific research objectives. Following the methodology, the analysis chapter presents the results of the analysis of the collected urban hiking guides. Good and bad examples of current guides are examined and best practices identified. The conclusion chapter draws conclusions based on the results of
5 the analysis and makes several recommendations based on those conclusions. It also describes the limitations of this study and the future research suggested by this work.
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Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
This literature review looks at four aspects of urban trail planning. The first topic is Asset-
Based Community Development (ABCD). The reviewed literature defines ABCD. Methods and strategies used in ABCD are discussed. The use of ABCD in urban trail planning and the potential for other beneficial planning are discussed. The second topic is walkability. The research methods used to determine walkability are discussed. Its importance to the community is examined. The third topic reviewed is the role of walkability in current urban revitalization. A definite interest in walkable communities is documented. Examples of particular plans and walking guide tours are documented. The fourth and final topic is the purpose and potential of walkability research. This final section examines current research on urban hiking. The positive and negative points are explained.
Asset-Based Community Development
Asset-Based Community Development has received considerable attention in the recent planning literature. “The appeal of Asset–Based Community Development lies in its premise that people in communities can organize to drive the development process themselves by identifying and mobilizing existing (but often unrecognized) assets, thereby responding to and creating local economic opportunity” (Mathie and Cunningham, 2003, 474).
The strength of such development lies in its ability to activate citizens. Walking and urban hiking trails create citizen involvement and provide a tool for asset based development. As residents of a community begin to use their neighborhood for recreational purposes such as walking, they take on a new concern for the community. Their concern and input in the planning process for the community are assets to the community and the development
7 process. When the drive for a more attractive, useful community comes from within its own residents, the effects and goals of planning are strengthened. Planners who listened to residents about the importance of security saw their urban trails used and maintained.
Trail use brought more activity, concern and dollars into the urban setting (Cameron &
Gibson, 2005).
In the Latrobe Valley Community Partnering Project, citizen involvement in the creation and maintenance of local planning strengthened the revitalization process (Cameron & Gibson,
2005). The Latrobe Valley in Australia was disadvantaged due to the shutdown of a major employer for the area, a state-run power plant. Residents of differing economic and professional backgrounds were brought together to work on social and economic goals for the area. Initiatives for the community were built on the abilities within the local groups.
Workshops were held per the suggestions and interests of the residents. Some of the projects involved were tool recycling and a lending library, furniture exchange, wood working shop, street parties, music festivals, youth newspaper, fixing up gardens, water recycling off roofs, a garden produce exchange, cleaning up waterway for recreation, recycling centers, understanding cooperatives, management options for community projects, and many more.
The projects revealed the wealth of knowledge and skills within the community. Both volunteer labor and paid labor were involved. Some projects were financially profitable.
People received training that was useful for local employment and the area experienced revitalization. “Through the process of conversation, workshops, and field trips people began to identify with the representation of themselves as active economic subjects and contributing citizens, and they began to imagine themselves working together and running their own community initiatives” (Cameron, Gibson, 2005, 282).
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Methods used for ABCD vary. The following methods to unite the community groups and rally them into a common plan were listed by Mathie and Cunningham:
1. “collecting stories of community successes and analyzing the reasons for success
2. mapping community assets
3. forming a core steering group
4. building relationships among local assets for mutually beneficial problem solving
within the community
5. convening a representative planning group
6. Leveraging activities, resources, and investments from outside the community”
(Mathie & Cunningham, 2003, 477).
Such methods give the community a strategy to follow. Collecting and analyzing community
stories and successes will help the group to avoid former pitfalls, while educating the group
on the previous history of the community. Mapping the assets of the community gives the
planning group tools to work with. A positive attitude that everyone has some asset to bring
to the table will widen their resources. Both social and physical assets are considered. The
formation of a core steering group keeps the work in motion and puts structure to meetings
and planning. Building relationships among local assets will keep the planning process
strong. It is important to have a convening planning group that includes representatives
from all groups. If not, some will feel that others are running the show and the interest will
wane. The sixth and final method involves searching for help from outside the community
wherever necessary. Financial assistance from outside the city may be available and should
be considered for various projects (Mathie & Cunnungham, 2003, 477-484).
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Asset–based planning is replacing what had been the predominant development planning paradigm, needs-based planning. In using asset-based planning the focus is on the mobilization of the community. All spectrums of the community including the poor can be involved in the planning process. ABCD can also be applied by various professions. An example of the medical field putting to use the ABCD method involved a doctor working in an inner-city emergency department of the hospital. She had noticed an unusually large amount of children coming in for dog bites. After discussion with the children and parents she found that many of the children did not know how to approach a dog. In some instances children were actually provoking the dogs. She pulled together the following community assets to help; the children, the school crossing guard who knew which children would benefit from the interaction, dog owners and the elementary school staff. These groups organized a dog-safety fair in a park near the school. Dog owners got to know the children and taught them how to approach dogs. In the article, “Building Healthier Communities for
Children and Families: Applying Asset–Based Community Development to Community
Pediatrics” the authors urge doctors to use ABCD to use and identify social capital. The physicians state that as the social environment improves, the health of the children will improve. Results are a more sustainable community (Pan, Littlefield, Valladolid, Tapping,
West, 2005, 1185).
At the heart of ABCD is a focus on social relationships as an asset to the community. “By treating relationships as assets, ABCD is a practical application of the concept of social capital. Social capital can vary and fluctuate” (Mathie and Cunningham, 2003, 479). It is dependent on the trust within the community groups. The assets might be a social agency, a business owner, a socially active pastor, the mayor, and local residents, each bringing
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contributions to the planning table. However if there is no relationship between the groups,
there will be no successes. The planner may play an important role here in facilitating
communications between the groups and guiding them in the formation of relationships.
There will be ups and downs during the process, but the establishment of trust between the
groups is essential (Mathie and Cunningham, 2003).
Earlier planners based their work on social problems and public resources rather than local
assets which have been around all along. An analysis of the success of asset-based planning in the west end neighborhood of Cincinnati was done by Arefi in 2004. Cincinnati’s
West End is an area of the city that became heavily blighted as the more affluent moved to
the suburbs in the early 1900’s. Slum clearance in the 1950’s resulted in displacement
and loss of social capital such as churches and organizations like the YMCA. The slum
clearance plan did not involve citizens. It was based on a needs-based plan. The city
planners made all the decisions thinking that by giving former residents nicer housing, they
would help the social impoverishment of the area. Although slum clearance intended to give
better physical housing, the area was left with weak interconnectedness. The absence of
community involvement caused the revitalization to fail. “Where public intent and citizen
participation converge, public policy is more likely to be sustained” (Arefi, 2004, 499).
Green and Haines (2002) in “Asset Building and Community Development” note that only time will tell if the success of the ABCD planning method will continue. Asset-based
planning began in the 1990’s when the economy was good. The future of asset planning
during weaker economic times may suffer a different legacy.
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In the book, Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems, Newman and Jennings (2008, 144) speak of the importance of Sense of Place. Place unites our social and ecological worlds. Place is held as an asset. This supports the development of trails as a meaningful contribution to planning. In planning trails we define space in a variety of ways, be it historical, environmental, architectural or any other reference point of study. The place we live in defines and nurtures us. Pride and concern for our place can contribute to sustainable development of our environment.
Beatley (2004) argues that walkable places are essential in the environment. He has found that people need to have a sense of the history of the area where they live. People need a sense of the diversity and the cultural background of the locality to have a proud self image.
Planners therefore need to incorporate buildings and parks that teach.
The five strategies listed for the fostering of a sense of place are:
1. “Protecting important existing elements of their natural and cultural heritage
2. Designing to make historical and current social and ecological processes more
visible
3. Connecting the urban form with the wider bioregion
4. Using cultural practices and the arts to nurture and deepen the sense of place
5. Discovering City ‘songlines’”
(Beatley, 2004, 48).
These strategies are helpful in planning an urban trail. One’s natural and cultural history refers to the physical and cultural history of a community. A community’s past is as
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important as an individual’s. Through a planned urban trail guide the heritage can be kept
and passed to next generations through the architecture of buildings, museums, parks,
festivals and stories about the past. New buildings and parks and recreation areas can be
constructed to compliment older historical sites. Likewise the city can connect to the larger
surrounding area. Farms, manufacturing, geological sites all contribute to who and what the community is. The customs of the area including art expression rather in artistic craft, music, or dance should be preserved and can be represented and told in planning.
The fifth strategy is particularly interesting to those interested in urban hiking guides.
Australian aborigines sustain their life and cultural by traveling a song line in all aspects important to their life. Agreements, territorial boundaries, important life stages, birth, and death all fall along the song line. It is more than a historical line for it has another
dimension defined as the soul or spirit of the community. To sustain the life of the city we
need to find its song line from the past and continue it by adding more current “song line”
rhythms. The songline is not just history it is all aspects of the human psyche. “Cities can
be both ecologically and socially regenerative through activating their sense of place”
(Newman & Jennings, 2008, 155).
Walkability
Current social science has shown interest in the relationship between physical activity
behavior and the environment (Saelens et al, 2003). The Neighborhood Environment
Walkability Scale (NEWS) is a scale used to measure the assets of perceived neighborhood
attributes in relation to practices of walking for both transportation and recreation.
Information is gathered through the self reporting of the participants. GIS based measures
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are used to measure dwelling density, street connectivity, land-use mix and net-retail area.
This measure can be used by planners to determine if a neighborhood would benefit from
an urban hiking guide. Resident input as to interest in walkability and was factors are the
most important to the community are learned. Areas rated for high density, mixed land use,
street connectivity, good safety image, and pleasant environment showed a higher rating for walk-ability (Saelens et al., 2003).
The Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale has been used internationally. A recent
study in Australia supports the validity of the NEWS as a scientific scale for research (Cerin
et al, 2008). The results upheld the NEWS as a valid tool of study. This study was
conducted in Adelaide, Australia using the same Neighborhood Environment Walkability
Scale as the previous work in the United States (Saelens et al, 2003). The study used 2,650
adults, 20-65 years of age, all able to walk independently, from 32 residential suburbs.
Participants were typed as residents of high and low walk able neighborhoods, and further
divided in terms of high and low socio economic income. The attributes found to affect
walkability are: “residential density, proximity to stores and facilities, access to these
destinations, street connectivity, infrastructure and safety for walking and cycling, aesthetics, traffic hazards, and safety from crime. Several international studies have found associations between these environmental attributes and residents’ physical activity,
particularly, walking” (Cerin et al., 2008, 32). In relation to walkability for recreation,
participants determined the following attributes most important: access to services, proper
construction of the paths, beauty and greenery, hilly versus flat streets, and restrictive
barriers to the paths (Cerin et al., 2008).
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Walkability is a concern of health professionals. Saelens et al. (1993) note that obesity might be directly related to the walkability of a community. This study found that low density
and thus greater need for automobile travel contributed to less walk-ability. Whereas high
density, mixed land use and grid blocked communities contributed to increased walkability.
This type of community in turn experienced an increase in physical activity. Thus the
researchers concluded that “Physical activity levels within the general population may not
improve until neighborhoods are made more walkable” (Saelens et al., 1993, 1552).
Heicmovich (2007) reports on the “Cool Cities” program. Its goal is to bring “Hot Jobs” and create “Cool Cities” in the process and retain a creative class. In 2003 a survey was sent on the web. Fourteen thousand college graduates responded. The study resulted in a list of factors that young professionals considered important if they were to return to the city.
Results from those surveyed created the following list of important factors:
1. “The Outdoor Factor: Michigan has the longest freshwater shoreline in the world, and
Cool Cities urges cities to emphasize this fact.
2. The ‘Third Place’ Factor: Cool Cities urges cities to consider what “third places” (e.g.
the places other than work and home) that exist in the community for people.
3. Safety and Security
4. Economics and Affordability
5. Entrepreneurship”
(Heicmovich, 2007, 3).
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The Cool Cities report found that the available for outdoor activities were important to young professionals. This included areas for walking, running, rollerblading and outdoor sports such as golf. The “third place” factor relates to activities such as concert halls, theatres, museums, and libraries. These are places that draw people to the city for activity other than work and home. Safety was important to the groups if they were to frequent the down town in the evenings. Housing, the cost of meals, parking, and recreation had to be affordable.
Young creative, professionals wanted the city to provide them with a sense of entrepreneurship. They want the city to be a place of promise where they can advance in business positions and manage and own businesses. Land-use concerns noted by Cool
Cities placed walk-ability first, followed by businesses, the arts, historic preservation and mixed-use development (Heicmovich, 2007, 3).
Walkability in Current Urban Revitalization
Evidence of the interest in walkability is shown by the numbers of books on urban hiking and touring. Baltimore is an example of a city that has incorporated urban hiking into its revitalization of a downtown area. Begun in 1958, the revitalization of the Inner Harbor district of Baltimore is a planning study. Walking in Baltimore (Shivers, 1995) is an example of extensively planned urban hiking guide. The author used volunteers with backgrounds in
Baltimore history along with the public library staff to incorporate local history and photos with mapping guides to the city. The guide begins with interesting facts about the city and then gives a historical time line of the city starting in 1609. There are twelve tours outlined with points of interest, maps, and pictures. A mapped outline of all twelve tours is in the beginning of the book. This gives the user a total picture of the tours which frequently overlap. Much of the touring area centers on the harbor. The water presents an
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aesthetically nice environment for walking. Places of special interest such as antique shops
and the sight of the Battle of Baltimore conclude the guide (Shivers, 1995).
Cincinnati, Ohio has a unique set of urban trails with approximately 400 sets of public-
stairways dating back to the 1800’s. These steps connect the downtown basin to the
nearby neighborhoods on the hills. Today the stair tours are popular paths for walkers and
hikers and are maintained by the city. In DuSablan’s (1998) guide to these stairways she
incorporates science, history and architecture with circular and figure eight exercise paths
throughout the inner city. At the back is an index of streets and places (DuSablan, 1998).
There are thirty five step tours in DuSablan’s Cincinnati guide book. The number of
stairways varies and the tours range from 0.8 to 5 miles. The tours include areas other than
the steps always circling back to the beginning. The tours thus create exercise paths, the
steps giving an extra hard workout. Some of the tours can be combined for a more strenuous workout. The tours are well planned out and easy to follow with an abundance of historical facts along the way. Some of the steps were used by the American Indians as a way to observe the white settlers. The guide gives a historical account of the steps. For example in the Mt. Adams neighborhood the steps leading up the hill to the Immaculate
Conception Church have been used for the Good Friday Pilgrimage beginning in 1860.
Historical facts are presented before each tour. The history of the migration of Cincinnati residents from the smog-filled, crowded basin to the adjacent hills gave rise to the building of many of the stairs, as a means to go to and from the city. Steps in Norwood take hikers to what was once an ancient Indian burial mound. Important works of architecture are noted in the guide along with pictures, like St Francis De Sales Church, and descriptions like the
17 mushroom shaped pergolas in the Findlay Market area designed by Carl Freund in the Frank
Lloyd Wright style. Some steps, like those in Ault Park, are architectural designs themselves.
The author incorporates science into the walks by describing the geological nature of the area and the relationship to the stairs. The basin in which the downtown lies is surrounded by hills, ridges and valleys in a semicircle. The geological explanation for this topography states that these ridges were formed more than two million years ago by an upward fold in rock. They call this the Cincinnati arch. Although called the City of Seven Hills scientists say
Cincinnati has many more than that (DuSablan, 1998).
Wells (2000) reports on revitalization in several large and small U.S. cities in the past thirty years. A summary of these plans reinforced the importance of downtown redevelopment.
Planning to retain the open spaces and create mixed-use neighborhoods are common goals.
Revitalization of deteriorating town centers is of utmost importance for the future of cities.
The following six strategies were commonly found to be important in these cases of urban revitalization:
1. Include citizens in the planning process
2. Create pedestrian friendly neighborhoods
3. Restore blighted structures and public areas
4. Connect neighborhoods to public transportation
5. Create esthetically viewed civic landscapes and open spaces for recreation
6. Consider local architecture when planning new construction
(Wells, 2002)
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These strategies are useful in planning urban hiking guides. The needs, creative ideas and
wishes are essential to a good plan. An urban hiking guide can create a pedestrian neighborhood. When people interact with each other on the streets (rather than in cars),
relationships are formed that are valuable to the community. Pleasant surroundings
encourage walkers to come out side. No one likes to walk in blighted areas. By connecting
public transportation to the community people will walk from their houses to the
transportation in place of jumping in a car at their door. Urban hiking guides can direct
community members to recreation areas. Paths that lead through nicely landscaped areas
are attractive to the urban hiker. Likewise architectural planning that incorporates the old
and the new in a good way is pleasant to the eye and gives the community a sense of history
(Wells, 2002).
Pedestrian walkways, cycling paths, streetscape beautification, and revitalization of historic
structures were all topics of concern for the revitalization plans developed in Middletown,
Connecticut; Chicago; Illinois; Lawrence, Kansas; Lansing, Michigan; Portland, Oregon and
Dallas, Texas. River and waterfront areas are being developed throughout for recreational
walking. Some cities provide over twenty five miles of area for such activity (Wells, 2002).
The following reports are examples of concrete urban plans made that included hiking trails.
They emphasize the importance and value placed on walkability on an urban setting and revitalization. Special emphasis is given to the revitalization of the inner-cities in current
planning. For many years these areas were neglected. Policy makers now realize that this
was a mistake. Ferguson and Dickens (2001) compiled research on the topic. They
19 concentrated on the impact of revitalization of the inner city rather than policy and strategy.
It is results-centered rather than theory centered (Ferguson and Dickens, 2001).
Kromer (2000) also takes a result-centered approach. He provides a guide to city-level policy that directly affects inner-city development or non-development. He focuses on realities such as employment practices, race relations, and political organizations in terms of the revitalization potential. Partnerships of various city groups, corporations and organizations are also valued as revitalization tools (Kromer, 2000).
Planners of urban hiking guides can benefit from a result centered approach. Unlike the past sprawl to the suburbs, people are returning to the city to live. The city must provide an attractive environment for a diverse group of people. The back drop of city skyscrapers makes an attractive setting for recreation if done correctly. The plan has to deal with the realities of correct signage, safety, continuity of path construction, and limited interference from automobiles. The guide must take into consideration the needs of the diverse group to create a working guide. All the theory and strategy is worthless if the plan does not work.
Urban hiking trails are working in major cities. Walkability within our cities is important in city planning as shown by the extensive development of trails in past decades. Kaye (2005) looks at four major cities that have put a plan in the works to offer outdoor hiking within the city limits. The plans looked at were New York City, Milwaukee, Denver, and Portland.
In New York, the Manhattan waterfront which at one time was dominated by piers, commercial buildings and highways has been transformed into the 32 mile Manhattan
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Waterfront Greenway, creating pathways for hikers and cyclists. As is common with large urban hiking trails, sections of the trail run through city streets and then reconnect with an off-street trail (Kaye, 2005).
Milwaukee’s Oak Leaf Trail, conceived in 1939 and completed in more recent years totals
106 miles of trail. The trail is linked by park and city streets. The lake loop part of the trail is most popular and takes the hiker around the shore of Lake Michigan. The view of tall skyscrapers juxtaposed to the lake is appealing to the adventuresome urban hiker (Kaye,
2005).
In Denver the Cherry Creek Trail was planned to run directly through the center of the downtown. It follows a waterway which is also used by kayakers. From the Pepsi Center to the back drop of the Rocky Mountains the trail was planned to enlighten and is well used.
Each city has its own assets to put to use and in Portland, Oregon they used the Willamette
River and the Waterfront Park to create the Vera Katz Eastbank Esplanade. The east bank trail runs for 1.5 miles, is 12 feet wide and connects to the west bank by bridges for another
1.5 miles of hiking. (Kaye, 2005).
Walkability Research: Purpose and Potential
There are a number of studies that look at the who, why and what of urban hiking. Concerns relate to physical health, community connection, and recreation and leisure (Gobster, 2005) examines two studies from the last twenty years done on Chicago trails and sought to reevaluate the findings in the context of today’s reality. The first study utilized material
21 gathered in 1989 at a trail in Chicago’s Warren Park. It compared the use of the same trail in terms of frequency by different age groups contrasted to the usage of the same 1.2 mile trail for social and recreational needs. High activity usage correlated with: younger age; absence of walking dogs; cool temperatures; mornings and small groups. His conclusions were generalized stating that different activity levels, different times of the day and different social arrangements were constant in the high or low usage of the trail. Recommendations were made that more study of the frequency of trail use and type of trail use is important and needed for planners to have good data to work from. It was found that at this trail people living nearby who utilized the park used it on a very regular basis (Gobster, 2005).
The second study by Gobster (2005) reevaluated what was done on thirteen Chicago metropolitan trails. The method of a self reporting survey was used. Conclusions found that pleasure and recreation were the number one reason for trail use followed by health and physical fitness. Walking was the most common activity followed by biking, running and then skating. Being in Chicago, weather conditions did contribute to usage. Participants engaging in high level physical activity tended to participate alone. The trail possibly presents an alternative to the gym. Participants of activities such as walking and biking were more likely to be in groups, incorporating a social, recreation aspect to the usage of the trails (Gobster, 2005).
Five Indiana urban trails were studied to measure the resident’s volume of usage of the trails (Lindsey & Nguyen, 2004). The study involved a combination of both small and large trails, varying in town size. They counted the number of users with infrared lights. The researchers concluded that further research of these trails and trails like them would be
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valuable to planners in the development of further trails. However the need to study not
only volume but also usage in relation to trail characteristics such as services and aesthetics
was suggested. It was concluded that trail use is a complex subject to study, but an
important one (Lindsey & Nguyen, 2004).
Urban trail guides have a variety of purposes. Special needs persons present another
challenge for the planner. Urban trails were studied by a university education department in
terms of perceptual geography (Dove 1997). Undergraduate students in education were used in the study. They investigated the perceived environment while creating urban trails
for the disabled. Perception learning occurred as one completed a trail from a wheel chair
or as perceived through the experience of one with sight impairment. Items such as coble
stone and the level of a wheel chair changed the experience of the trail. The students
created the trails. It was concluded that this assignment was useful as a tool in perceptual
learning. The positive aspects of student centered learning include creativity, decision
making, and problem solving. Students supported the theory that perception is subjective
and that reality is influenced by experiences (Dove, 1997).
The three research studies on urban trails presented here, in Chicago, Indiana and the study
involving the creation of trails for special needs people are examples of research that can be
helpful in planning urban hiking guides. They bring up several important questions. What
age group is the trail and trail guide geared to? Is recreation or exercise the important
aspect of the trail? How will the weather of the community affect the trail and its usage? Do
we want to include educational aspects to the trail? What type of visual aspects is
important to a trail (flowers, fountains)? Is the type of ground covering on the trail
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important? Should retail services for food and drink be available? What physical variety can
be used to create an interesting trail? What do we project the volume usage to be of the
trail? How maintenance free do we need the trail to be? Are there certain hours that security should be increased? How easy is the trail guide to handle while on the trail itself?
How can we make the trail more accessible to people with special needs?
Previous research gives the planner ideas as to how to go about research for their own
project. Research stimulates thought and creativity. Research often concludes that there is
room and a need for more research.
Summary of Literature Review
This literature review provided guidance in theory and practice for the review of current
urban hiking guides and their analysis. The characteristics chosen to analyze the urban
hiking guides were obtained through the literature review. Beatley’s five strategies for the
fostering of a sense of place provide a good basis in the evaluation of urban hiking guides
as a tool for asset-based community development (Beatley, 2005). The literature review
established guidelines for urban hiking guides that can assist in ABCD.
The walkability section of the review determined guidelines for measuring data. Walkability
in current urban revitalization established the positive desire for urban hiking guides in a
community. Walkability research highlights the fact that there is a need for additional
research in this area and a potential of growth from the research.
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Chapter 3: Study Methodology
In the literature review it is shown that exploring the assets of a community and building on those assets can assist in the revitalization of an area. This chapter will describe the research methods used to analyze guide books and examine how these guides can be effective in contributing to revitalization goals. The research methods selected build on the literature review.
The focus here will be to answer the following research questions:
1. What are best practices/good examples of key sections used in effective Urban
Hiking Guides?
2. Given the best practices/good examples, how does a community present their unique
assets in an effective urban hiking guide so that the guide can assist in
revitalization?
An Effective Urban Hiking Guide Assisting in Revitalization
An ideal guide to assist with revitalization will include three essential elements. First, it will be user friendly; second, easy to read; and third, easy to follow the routes. In addition, the following five elements should also be included: first, clear maps will guide the participant through historic places; second, follow the landscape of the environment; third, detail art and architecture; fourth, give a sense of the community; and fifth, locate economic assets.
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Data Collection and Analysis
The principal sources of evidence for this research project are existing urban hiking guides.
These guides are available to the public through three avenues: books, pamphlets, and websites. This analysis looks at how the guides provide information. It highlights the effective guides as examples for future use.
Twelve different guides are analyzed within the study. The intent was to include urban hiking guides from cities of a variety of sizes and locations, with different focuses. The guides are from cities of various size and location. Each guide focuses on certain features of the city. The following chart (Figure 1) shows the reasons why the guides were chosen.
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Figure 1: Guide Book and Community Characteristics
size creator location type Focus Art size size west East book large large north south middle historic website website medium publisher Pamphlet community community government architecture Arts in Public X X X X X X Places: Pittsburgh
Ashville Urban Trail X X X X X X Guide
Chicago: In and X X X X X X X Around the Loop
Covington X X X X X X Neighborhood Areas
Historic Georgetown X X X X X
Not for Tourists X X X X X X Chicago
Toronto Trails X X X X X X X X
Walking in X X X X X X X Baltimore
Walking Brooklyn X X X X X X X X
Walking L. A. X X X X X X X X
Walking the Steps of X X X X X X X Cincinnati
Washington D. C. X X X X X X
Through the literature review many things have been identified as important aspects of urban hiking guides, particularly when looking at them as tools for asset-based community development. Not only should the city be taken into account, but the people and assets within the city need to be considered. For this reason the first part of this analysis looks at the creator, style of guide (book, pamphlet, and website), general audience, year published or updates and size of guide. The second part of the analysis will score each of the twelve
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guides based on ten characteristics: design/layout, maps, trail description, wayfinding,
photographs/drawings, historical, environment, architecture, art and current community.
Each category is scored from one (lowest) to three (highest). A score of one is given to guides that have minimal or no information about the category. A two is given when some
information is present yet there seems to be a lack of detail or it is not explained clearly. A
three is given for complete and clear presentations related to the category. These scores
are then summed in a summary score reflecting the overall effectiveness of an urban hiking
guide.
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Chapter 4: Assessing Urban Hiking Guides
Each book, pamphlet and website is different. Each one has aspects that are strong and
aspects that are weak. This chapter analyses strong and weak aspects of each of the
selected urban hiking guides. It also defines terms not previously defined. First each guide
is described and analyzed. The table along with each guide has information about the author, the creator, its style and general audience. The table also shows the scoring of the assets and design of the book based on strength: weak (1), moderate (2) and strong (3). In
Chapter 5 each topic is then synthesized and examples from the guides are given.
Arts in Public Places: Pittsburgh
Figure 2: Pittsburgh Guide
General Assets Design Art Style Maps Maps History Creator Drawings Community Architecture Way Finding Author, Year Environment Photographs Trail Description General Audience
Oakland Community Walking Tours, Government Pamphlet 2 3 1 1 2 3 1 2 3 Scholars 2006
This small pamphlet was created by the City of Pittsburgh. The purpose of this pamphlet is
to attract tourists and historians to walk through certain areas of the city. The main focus of
this guide is art. However, it does describe some of the architecture and history of the area.
The guide is nicely laid out with pictures and descriptions of assets. Although there is not an
exact trail set in place there are numbers and a map that show routes the participant can
make themselves. The pamphlet is easily folded for reading or to put in a pocket. (Oakland,
2006)
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Asheville Urban Trail Guide
Figure 3: Asheville Guide
General Assets Design Art Style Maps Maps History Creator Drawings Community Architecture Way Finding Author, Year Photographs Environment Trail Description General Audience Asheville Arts, Parks & Tourists Recreation Government Pamphlet 2 2 3 1 3 2 2 3 1 Scholars Departments, 2004
The Ashville Urban Trail Guide was created by the Asheville Arts Council and the Parks and
Recreation Department of the city of Asheville. This small pamphlet provides information about the history and the present community as well as local art and architecture. The trail is easy to follow with good wayfinding. The one clearly laid out hike can also assist with general locations of the city. (Asheville Arts, Parks and Recreation Department, 2004)
Chicago: In and Around the Loop
Figure 4: Chicago-In and Around the Loop
General Assets Design Art Style Maps Maps History Creator Drawings Community Architecture Way Finding Author, Year Environment Photographs Trail Description General Audience Community Wolfe, 2004 Book Scholars 3 2 1 1 3 2 1 1 2 Publisher
Chicago: In and around the loop is a wonderful example of the community working with a publisher. The community gave their input to the publishers about the area. This guide has
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12 walking tours that look at the architectural assets in Chicago’s loop. There are many
photographs old and new to show the assets. The guide also provides interesting historical
facts about the area. (Wolfe, 2004)
Covington Neighborhood Areas
Figure 5: Covington Guide
General Assets Design Art Style Maps Maps History Creator Drawings Community Architecture Way Finding Author, Year Environment Photographs Trail Description General Audience Community of Community Covington, Community Pamphlet 3 1 1 2 3 1 1 3 1 Scholars 1991
In 1991 the community of Covington, Kentucky along with the Economic Development
Department of Covington created pamphlets for the 17 neighborhoods of Covington called
Walking Tours of Covington, Kentucky. These pamphlets exemplify an urban hiking guide
put together through the efforts of community members. The pamphlets are crudely made.
The maps are not easily read and words are often misspelled. However the pamphlets are
available without charge to the community and visitors. These pamphlets detail hikes of
different neighborhoods within the city. Each neighborhood reflects its individual
characteristics. One pamphlet called Mutter Gottes is about the area near Mother of God
Church. This walk takes you past houses on blocks, talking about their architecture and the
history of families from the area. The community used the old German style of saying
Mother of God (Mutter Gottes) instead of English to show the rich German influence in the area. It is easy to see what the community feels is important. Seventeen years have passed
and an updated pamphlet has not been created. This is a community effort that has to be 31
taken on every few years to keep things updated with paths accurate. (Community of
Covington, 1991)
Historic Georgetown
Figure 6: Georgetown Guide
General Assets Design Art Style Maps Maps History Creator Drawings Community Architecture Way Finding Author, Year Photographs Environment Trail Description General Audience Tourists Carrier, 1999 Publisher Book 3 2 1 1 3 1 2 2 3 Scholars
Images of America, a publisher, created the urban hiking guide, Historic Georgetown: A
Walking Tour. This book is full of historic photos. The maps are simple and combined with the way finding and trail description the hikes are easy to follow as long as the city has not changed since the guide’s publication. If a scholar or tourist wants to learn about the
architecture and history of Georgetown this book and the seven tours are an effective way
(Carrier, 1991).
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Not For Tourists Chicago
Figure 7: Not For Tourists Chicago
General Assets Design Art Style Maps Maps History Creator Drawings Community Architecture Way Finding Author, Year Environment Photographs Trail Description General Audience Not For Tourists, Community Book Community 2 2 3 3 2 3 1 2 1 2008 Publisher
Not For Tourists Chicago is an urban hiking guide that highlights the community and the environment of the area. This guide is full of information about the community. Each area highlighted has general information about the area and an overview of the history.
Information about where to eat, shop, find government offices, see a movie or go to a play is also given.
The book is easy to use. Pages of the areas are marked on the top left corner according to color. For instance if you are in the on the North Side, you would look to the section marked in red. If you want to find parks and places you will look for pages marked in light green.
There are 13 such sections in this book. The pages easily open and there is a built in page holder. Although there are no photos, this guide excels in maps. The maps are clear and easy to read with wayfinding and symbols clearly marked. Symbols such as a bone if you are looking for pet shops or a martini glass if you are looking for nightlife help the user easily see what is available to them. This book is excellent for people who know the city, or want to learn about the city (Not For Tourists, 2008).
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Toronto Trails
Figure 8: Toronto Trails
General Assets Design Art Style Maps Maps History Creator Drawings Community Architecture Way Finding Author, Year Environment Photographs Trail Description General Audience City Surf, Internet Publisher Website Tourists 2 2 3 2 2 3 3 3 1 accessed May 2008
Toronto Trails was created by City Surf, an Internet website for tourists to purchase audio tours of Toronto. There are five tours available. The audio tours can be downloaded as MP3 files for an IPOD. The tours cost USD 9.99. The hikes are full of interesting information about their communities. They offer ideas of where to stop for lunch, or where is a good area to stop and people watch. The participant can also download a paper map to take with them (City Surf, Internet accessed May 2008).
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Walking in Baltimore
Figure 9: Baltimore Guide
General Assets Design Art Style Maps Maps History Creator General Audience Drawings Community Architecture Way Finding Author, Year Photographs Environment Trail Description Tourists Shivers, 1995 Publisher Book Community 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 3 3 Scholars
The urban hiking guide book Walking in Baltimore was created by a professor at Johns
Hopkins University. Mr. Shrivers saw the assets in Baltimore. Shriver having moved from
Cincinnati with his wife felt there had to be more out there than they had seen. They knew of the love Baltimoreans had for the area. They did not have this until Shriver decided to look at the “grand but shabby” (Shriver, Xi, 1995) place. Once Shriver fell in love with the area he began leading students through Baltimore to show the history and culture. Through this he approached the publisher and together they created the guide book.
This guide book is strong in many aspects. The architecture, art, community, and history are strongly present in his writing and in the areas the hikes go through. The environment is not a focus in the book, it is noted in the book. The maps, trail descriptions, way finding and photographs are strong in this book. They are clear and easy to follow. It is a wonderful example of integrating all assets within a community and highlighting them to revitalize an area. It is possible that due to the 13 years that have passed since the publication date that many things have changed. An updated or revised version may give a more accurate account of the community today (Shivers, 1995).
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Walking Brooklyn
Figure 10: Brooklyn Guide
General Assets Design Art Style Maps Maps History Creator Drawings Community Architecture Way Finding Author, Year Environment Photographs Trail Description General Audience
Historians Publisher Tourists Onofri, 2007 Book 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Community Scholars Community
Walking Brooklyn is one of many of Wilderness Press’s creations. The Wilderness Press
creates guidebooks of many cities. The publisher looks for local writers, historians or
professors to write the guide books. The Brooklyn guide has unique characteristics that
were integrated with its architecture, art, community, environment and history of the area.
The titles of the trails are “Sunset Park; Melting Pot on the Waterfront” (Onofri, 2007, 173)
and “Coney Island and Brighton Beach: Old Times and Old World on the Boardwalk: (Onofri,
2007, 199). Each trail has points of interest, and ideas for where different hikers might want to stop for lunch or for dinner. There is even an appendix that lists the walks according to theme: “Arts and Culture; Houses and Churches; Ethnic Heritage; History; Neighborhoods in Transition; Shopping and Waterfront.” (Onofri, 2007, 222)
Within this guidebook they first note that everything is subject to change. The changing world makes the communities streets and neighborhoods evolve so they warn to proceed with caution. However the maps are clear with wonderful pictures. Even as the book ages, it will still have enough information for the user to find their way. It is unlikely that the trail
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descriptions, way finding photos and maps will deviate from reality so much that the
participant will lose their way. (Onofri, 2007)
Walking L. A.
Figure 11: L. A. Guide
General Assets Design Art Style Maps Maps History Creator Drawings Community Architecture Way Finding Author, Year Environment Photographs Trail Description General Audience Tourists Publisher Mahoney, 2006 Book Community 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 County Scholars
Walking L. A. is a creation of Wilderness Press, a well known walking guide creator. The
publisher looks for local writers, historians or professors to write the guide books. The book
describes 36 walking tours that take you through unknown stairways, streets and buildings.
Los Angeles is a large city that has many beaches, squares and downtowns. This guide book clearly takes you through these areas. Participants can even find trails that are put together by theme. There are six themed walks: “People Watching; Dining, Shopping and
Entertainment; Arts and Culture; Architectural Tours; Peaceful Escapes and Serious
Workouts” (Mahoney, 2006, 222).
Within this urban hiking guide the maps are clear and easy to follow. The wayfinding is set out with bullet points so participants can clearly review where they are and where they will be going. At the end of the tours a summary is given so the participant knows what to expect or what they have missed (Mahoney, 2006).
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Walking the Steps of Cincinnati
Figure 12: Cincinnati Guide
General Assets Design Art Style Maps Maps History Creator Drawings Community Architecture Way Finding Author, Year Environment Photographs Trail Description General Audience Community Community DuSablon, 1998 Book 3 2 1 3 3 1 3 3 1 Publisher Scholars
DuSablon (1998), wrote Walking the Steps of Cincinnati in conjunction with community
members, civic officers and librarians. They took the heritage stories that they knew from
when they were young children, completed further research and recorded them in the book.
This book is for tourists, community members and anyone who is interested in mixing urban
areas and green ways. The guide tells the historic account of the growth of Cincinnati and
the seven hills of the area. Along with the history the architecture and art in the area is
explained as well as the reasoning for the way the area grew due to its environment. The 35
walks in the guide book take participants all throughout the neighborhoods of the city.
This book is not as user friendly as some. The maps are not easy to read. They are small
and crowded with information. However there are adequate wayfinding and trail
descriptions. This book is nice yet it is now out of date. It was published in 1998 and can use updating with the maps and other changes that may have occurred city (DuSablon,
1998).
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Washington D. C.
Figure 13: Washington D. C. Guide
General Assets Design Art Style Maps Maps History Creator Drawings Community Architecture Way Finding Author, Year Environment Photographs Trail Description General Audience Scholars Carrier, 1999 Publisher Book 3 3 1 1 3 3 1 2 3 Tourists
Images of America, a popular historical publisher created the guide book Washington, D. C.
A Historical Walking Tour. The guide book has seven tours of the historic city. The
architecture, art and history are clearly laid out for each tour. The photographs assist in the
locations of the trails, however exact wayfinding and trail description are not as helpful. The
maps are clear and it is easy to see the streets. The maps have marked numbers and
letters that correspond to the historical information. This is helpful for the guide users.
(Carrier, 1999)
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Chapter 5: Importance of Attributes in Urban Hiking Guides
In Chapter 4 urban hiking guides chosen for this study were assesd individually. The strong and weak aspects were described. This chapter asses the aspects that make an effective urban hiking guide and gives examples of the aspects. The table in the previous chapter along with each guide (a full table is available in the appendix) has information about the author, the creator, its style and general audience. The table also shows the scoring of the assets and design of the book based on strength: weak (1), moderate (2) and strong (3).
This chapter takes each topic and synthesizes them along with examples from the guides.
Creator
Each guide was created with a different purpose. These purposes stand out in a few and are hidden in others. Depending on the author’s purpose the audience might change.
Guides are created by community members, publishers or a mixture of community members and publishers. Those creators have chosen books, pamphlets, or websites to display information.
Community members pull together to create urban hiking guides. This not only helps create a guide, it also helps the community to become aware of their available assets. Organizing the community to create a guide sparks interest among the community members. Many times community members forget about the good food stand, or the beautiful stairway they used to take in the past.
Two guides stand out in the area of being created by the community: Walking the Steps of
Cincinnati (DuSablon, 1998) and Walking Tours of Covington, Kentucky (Community, 1991).
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Both guides were created through the efforts of a city department and community members.
Both guides have their own attractiveness. Both guides are mainly for community members
yet also are tourist friendly.
Publishers create guides for profit. They see where a style of book works well in one
community and they use the same style and create books for other communities. This is
apparent in the books created by the publisher Images of America. The guides they create are interesting but they lack any community input. They tell wonderful history and have great photos but lack something. Similarly, the on-line guide for Toronto www.city-surf.ca
(accessed May 2008) is a good guide. They know what is popular and market to that. They
also use the latest technology to update their guides and make them as user friendly as
possible.
From reviewing the guides it seems that when a guide is created jointly by the community
and a publisher there is a nice effect. The community wants to have their assets showcased
so people see why they love the area. The publishers want to sell the books so they know
which verbiage is appealing, what graphics to use and how to design the book.
“Go to the right on Driggs. Between Leonard and Echford Sts., the building with reddish
brown trim on your right is the Polish National Home, a cultural center that has kept the
homeland’s heritage alive for immigrants and their American–born children. It now houses
Warsaw, a popular nightspot (Onofri, 2007 pg 154).” These few sentences touch on the
historic, cultural, economic and architectural aspects of a community. Publishers know how
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to make things sound attractive to many walks of life. The community knows the ins and
outs of the city.
A community or a publisher can separately create an effective guide. However if they
combine their efforts the guides will have a better chance of being effective. Only the
community truly knows the nooks and crannies of an area and can give insight into their
area of expertise. Publishers can market things that an everyday person cannot. Ideally if a
publisher decides to create a guide they should consult the community. Once the community has identified the assets a specialist in those assets should be brought in to
detail the back ground. If all of these areas are targeted a guide has greater potential to
revitalize the community.
Style
There are three main types of urban hiking guides identified. Pamphlets, books and Internet
websites are all ways to showcase urban hiking guides. Depending on funding, audience,
overall goal and how much information are available different styles will work better for
different cities.
Many cities have pamphlets available to the public for a small charge or for no charge.
Pamphlets are simple large pieces of paper that a hiker can easily fold into their pocket.
They typically will have one or two hikes on them with information about the area. These are
good if the topic is narrow. A city can have a variety of pamphlets available for hikers to
choose from. These can be art pamphlets like the Art in Public Places or historic like the
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Covington Community pamphlets. Pamphlets can be run off at a local print shop and can be
easily updated.
Books are nice when there is a large amount of information available to be shared. Typically
the books will have 6-40 hikes along with information about the hikes, pictures, maps and anything else the author feels necessary. Books do create more effort for the creator. If the community wants to create a book they must look for a publisher. Books allow for more information yet are not easily updated.
Internet websites are unique. The one found for this research was on City-surf.ca, a
Canadian website that showcases trails of Toronto. A website is great for the Internet savvy
audience. One can download a walking tour to an IPOD for little of no charge depending on
the creator. Maps can also be printed. The best thing about the Internet is that it can be
easily updated and accessed from anywhere. There is no worry if the hiker forgot a book at
home, they can just jump on the Internet and get the information.
All three styles of guides are necessary depending on whom and how you want to attract
hikers to the city’s urban hiking trails. When a community or publisher wants to create a
guide it is helpful for them to think of whom they are marketing the trial too. Since the
Internet is popular it is nice to have a website available. This could be for an audio walking
tour or even just to print a map and the wayfinding. However there are many people who
would rather have a book or pamphlet in hand.
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General Audience
It is important for the creators of urban hiking guides to look at who their audience is. Is it
the community, tourists or scholars of a certain field? Why is this important? If a book is full
of historical information, will an environmentalist use the book as often as a historian? No,
the environmentalist will look for a book that talks about the landscape. In the same way,
will a community member use a book that only gives general information about the area? If the community member finds a book full of information that they already know they will pass it by and the book will only be good for tourists.
Assets: Architecture, Art, Community, Environment and History
In the literature review it was learned that an urban hiking guide can be a tool for asset
based community development. But what assets should be looked at when doing asset based community development? The report on Cool Cities listed information on what people look for when moving to cities.
The 12 urban hiking guides assessed show a pattern of five different assets. The guide books repeatedly brought up architecture, art, community, environment and history. These are common assets of a community. Some of them maybe hidden, yet they are available.
Architecture is the main topic in Gerard R. Wolfe’s urban hiking guide in Chicago In and
Around the Loop. Pictures of the magnificent architectural pieces are present as well as descriptions of each. “Look back at the façade of Union Station. Note the eight-story office tower above, set back from the lower section so as not to detract from it. Union Station, with
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its 22 massive columns, stands as a grand monument to Chicago’s role as railroad
transportation center of the nation” (Wolfe, 2004, 122).
Art in Pittsburgh emphasizes the art in the community. “Foster was one of America’s great
billiardists. Some of his most famous works include My Old Kentucky Home and Oh!
Susanna. Moretti, known for his naturalistic portraiture, spent many days with Foster’s brother in his studio to achieve this convincing likeness of his subject” (Oakland, 2006).
Other books barely mention art. Any community rich in art can look to the Pittsburgh
Pamphlet for example of a good account of art in the community.
Walking in Baltimore (Shivers, 1995) is a guide about Baltimore’s rich history. “After you find a commemorative plaque on a cannon…look next to it for the Star Spangled Banner
Centennial Monument. Since schoolchildren helped pay for it, it is right to have two children hold the scroll telling that here ‘the citizens soldiers of Maryland stood ready to sacrifice their lives in defense of their homes and then country.’ From here you can see the Francis
Scott Key Bridge, honoring the poet of the national anthem. Key had composed the words after having witnessed the British failure to subdue Fort McHenry” (Shivers, 1995, 69). This is one example of the dedication this book has to History.
The liveliness of a culture within a community is a significant asset. Onofri in his Walking
Brooklyn highlights this nicely. Two hikes stand out, Hike 19: Williamsburg: Historic,
Hasidic, Hispanic, and Hot! On page 143 and Hike 22: Sunset Park: Melting Pot on the
Waterfront on page 173. These hikes highlight the communities as the hiker is going through and gives some local interest and flavor. “Jewish youth now attend school in
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mansions where the upper crust of West society used to gather” (Onofri, 2007, 146). Other
guides talk about the past but they rarely talk about the character of the present community.
Giving information about where to eat, a good place to possibly shop and even buy some
water can spark economic activity for the community. In the Not for Tourist Guide of
Chicago detailed information about shopping, eating and nightlife is given. Every area of the city has been scoped to find recommendations for the reader’s activities. This is an area lacking in many books. Most books might mention a very popular place, but few give information thoroughly throughout the hike. Good information helps the economy of the area as hikers spend money.
The environment is less talked about in the books researched. With the green movement coming in importance everywhere, this may change in the future and become more popular in the guides. However, the Walking the Steps of Cincinnati was found to contain a good representation of environmental explanation. The book’s focus is stairways however the lay of the land around the Cincinnati basin is discussed. The flora and fauna of the area are frequently discussed and also highlighted throughout the walks. “Ascend the 24 flights of
Grandin Road Steps, four to six steps each, passing between dress-right-dress Longworth
Court condo and lovely one-family homes and underneath the branches of honeysuckle bushes, mulberry trees, and resin-scented Douglas firs”(Dusablon, 1998, 101).
Design: Maps, Trail Description, Wayfinding and Photographs or Drawings
Looking at all of the books, the designs and layouts were nice, but could be improved. For a guide book to be used often it has to be easy to read, easy to find pages of trails, and something small enough that people will want to carry around with them. With the guide for
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Toronto where you can download the trail and just use a listening device that is great.
However if you were to get off the track you do not have a hard copy to reference. Then you will still want a paper map of some sort to take you back to where you started.
Not for Tourist is a publisher who makes books for community members. The book Not for
Tourists Chicago (NFT, 2008) is easy to read and easy to use. The book is small enough to fit in a pocket. The binding is not stiff, allowing it to open and close easily without loosing one’s page. There is also a string book marker attached to the binding which comes in handy for place saving. Another great asset to this guide is the fact that there are colored tabs on the side of the book to help you keep your place as you are walking. Figure 14 shows a map, the layout of information as well as the tabbed colors for the pages on the top right hand corner.
Figure 14: Map from NFT (Not For Tourists, 2008, 124-125)
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Pamphlets are also nice to use when designed clearly and in an organized manner. The pamphlet Asheville Urban Trail (Asheville, date unknown) is a good representation of a pamphlet. The context is organized so you can easily fold open the paper and close it. This way you only need a small piece of paper in your hand at a time instead of a large piece of paper which screams tourist to any thieves around. The pamphlets for Covington, Kentucky created by the Economic Department have to be completely open in order to read or see any maps. This is cumbersome and not easy to use.
Usability is something to think about when creating a guide. If it is not easy to use no one will use it. They may use it once but then they will become frustrated and angry trying to use the guide multiple times. Figure 15 shows a guide that is easy to use as well as Figure 16.
However, Figure 16 is fair, but not ideal. Pamphlets are difficult to use unless they are created so the user does not need to unfold the whole pamphlet all the time.
Figure 15: (below, left) Cover of Walking Brooklyn (Onofri, 2007) Figure 16: (below, right) Mutter Gottes (Community, 1991)
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Maps are essential to any guide. Whenever a person goes down the wrong path or new construction obstructs a trail they can find their way through a map. Good maps are clear and easy to follow. Bad maps are difficult to read and often incorrect. A strong example of a map is in Figure 17 from Walking Brooklyn. A weak example is in Figure 18 below from the book Walking the Steps of Cincinnati. This map is weak since it is not easy to read. The street names necessary are clear but overall the map is distorted and complicated.
Figure 17: (below, left) Brooklyn Map (Onofri, 2007) Figure 18: (below, right) Mount Adams Map (DuSablon, 1998, 73)
Wayfinding is a system set in place to know where you are. Like in hospitals when you follow the red line to the delivery room and the blue line to the waiting room. Some people have thought about the idea of painting pots different colors to represent different trails. In
Seattle dance steps are put on the streets to help people find their way around. On the next page (47) Figure 19 is a nice example of using large buildings to help people find their way.
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Figure 19: Asheville Urban Trail (Ashville Arts, Parks and Recreation, Date Unknown)
Pictures are good. Below in Figure 20 is an example of a strong drawing. It is clear and shows what the area once was like. However, many guide books such as the Washington
D.C. Walking (1995) uses many images. The book is crowded and the pictures are not clear.
The pictures take away from the actual hike itself. If the goal is to reach people who will not physically take the walk then many pictures are good.
Figure 20 Drawing (Carrier, 1999, 56)
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Chapter 5: Scores
In Chapter 4 each book was described and was given a weak (1), moderate (2) or strong (3) score for its assets and design. In Chapter 5 the different Assets and Designs importance and styles were explained. This chapter will discuss the scores what they possible mean when added together for each guide and for each asset and design.
Figure 21: Scores Assets Design
Total Art Art Maps History History Drawings Drawings Community Architecture Architecture Way Finding Photographs Environment Environment Trail Description Arts in Public Places: 2 3 1 1 2 3 1 2 3 18 Pittsburgh Ashville Urban 2 2 3 1 3 2 2 3 1 19 Trail Guide Chicago: In and Around 3 2 1 1 3 2 1 1 2 16 the Loop Covington Neighborhood 3 1 1 2 3 1 1 3 1 14 Areas Historic 3 2 1 1 3 1 2 2 3 18 Georgetown Not for Tourists 2 2 3 3 2 3 1 2 1 18 Chicago
Toronto Trails 2 2 3 2 2 3 3 3 1 21
Walking in 3 3 3 2 3 2 2 2 2 22 Baltimore
Walking 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 27 Brooklyn
Walking L. A. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 27
Walking the Steps of 3 2 1 3 3 1 3 3 1 20 Cincinnati Washington D. 3 3 1 1 3 3 1 2 3 20 C. Total 32 28 24 24 33 27 23 29 24
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When looking at the scores totaled for the urban hiking guides. The strongest guides in all the categories are the Walking L. A. (Mahoney, 2006) and Walking Brooklyn (Onofri, 2007).
These books have are created by both the publishers and the community. They are both recent books which are easy to use. The guide with the lowest of score is the Covington
Community (1991) guide. This guide is purely put together by the efforts of the community.
It is also an old guide that might not be up-to-date with the current state of the community.
When looking at the scores by design and asset architecture and wayfinding stand out. The fact that these two are highest scoring amongst the different assets and design show that they are of high importance. Architecture in a community is an outstanding asset that is typically highlighted. The guide books score also reveals the importance of wayfinding.
Whether maps are clear or not it is necessary to have accurate wayfinding in the guide books for participants.
The scores may seem insignificant but they do show aspects that are necessary for an effective urban hiking guide. It is good to have the community and a publisher work on a guide. Architecture is a main asset to look for in a community. Wayfinding is necessary for the guide to have so the participant can easily use the guide.
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Chapter 7: Conclusions
The work on this study highlights the need and vast opportunity for further exploration of urban hiking guides as neighborhood revitalization tools. The urban hiking guide has
potential as a tool for asset based community development. Further research of existing
guides would be helpful to planners. Planners work towards making a city appeal to the
community members. Urban hiking guides can assist in highlighting the assets for the
community members. Creating an urban hiking guide can help the planners involve the
community in their work. It is suggested that researchers walk the entire guides to
specifically research best practices in creating guides.
The number of existing guides bears witness to the popularity of the guide format. The
current residential trend back to the city would make such research timely. The rising cost
of gas and concern for the natural environment make a good case for utilizing our urban
areas wisely. Perhaps those returning to the city are looking for that ‘song line’ that the
Australian aborigines follow in life.
Recommendations & Next Steps
Assets create a wide opportunity for what a community has to offer. An asset to one person
might not be an asset to another. This raises the issue that there are many types of assets.
A community, diverse in population and thought brings many valuable assets to the planning
table. This emphasizes the importance of community input, when planning for change
within a community. Community members investing into their community is a powerful
movement to sustainable change.
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When researching urban hiking guides or urban trails further I recommend working closely
with the community. Have community members give their input on the current guides.
Explore the needs and wishes of the community. Much local history can be obtained from
native local residents. Think to the future in terms of maintaining the trails. What can be done to encourage the use of the trails? Would seasonal sporting events such as races for charity be good? Ideally have a team of community members take the hikes and grade the hikes on the criteria given in the methodology section of this study. Find out if there are concerns that are specific to the community.
Blogs are another avenue that would be a good tool in the creation of urban hiking trails.
Many people blog about their new found love of the urban hiking. It might be nice to create a blog group that can discuss different hikes and what they see as valuable in the hikes.
This is another way to bring interested parties into the research.
Ideally I would love to see this study used as the start of a handbook for communities who want to create effective urban hiking guides. This study needs to be expanded to test the actual practice before it is sent out to communities. The handbook could be placed on a website for the communities. This way it can always be updated with lessons learned by the communities. I feel a sharing of information like this would be the best way to learn from such a large idea.
Self Assessment of study
Time and terminology are two areas I wish I had been stronger in. Time would allow me to
make a stronger, clearer statement about why some guides are good and others bad. I wish
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I could have tested each guide in the actual city. I can only look at the guides. Ideally I
would have liked to have visited each city and taken the hikes myself. If this is not a
possible feat this would be a great area to bring in the community members. From a
distance one does not see the little things, like unmaintained pathways, or misinformation
on a map.
Terminology became an issue. What sounds good to one ear is not right to another. After
months of researching urban hiking, urban walking, walking in green belts, city walking, and basically every combination of those terms that sounded applicable, I stumbled upon urban
trails. Searching online for ‘Urban Trails’ had a much better response. Although most of the
research of urban trails comes from the study of geography, it is a way of speaking about
urban hiking.
.
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Appendix A: Overview of Reviewed Urban Hiking Guides
General
Style Style Creator General Audience Audience Author, Year Year Author,
Arts in Public Oakland Walking Community Government Pamphlet Places: Pittsburgh Tours, 2006 Scholars
Asheville Arts, Parks & Ashville Urban Trail Tourists Recreation Government Pamphlet Guide Scholars Departments, 2004
Chicago: In and Community Wolfe, 2004 Book Scholars Around the Loop Publisher Covington Community of Community Neighborhood Community Pamphlet Covington, 1991 Scholars Areas Historic Tourists Carrier, 1999 Publisher Book Georgetown Scholars
Not for Tourists Community Not For Tourists, 2008 Book Community Chicago Publisher
City Surf, Internet Toronto Trails Publisher Website Tourists accessed May 2008
Tourists Walking in Shivers, 1995 Publisher Book Community Baltimore Scholars
Historians Publisher Tourists Walking Brooklyn Onofri, 2007 Book Community Scholars Community
Tourists Publisher Walking L. A. Mahoney, 2006 Book Community Community Scholars
Walking the Steps Community Community DuSablon, 1998 Book of Cincinnati Publisher Scholars
Scholars Washington D. C. Carrier, 1999 Publisher Book Tourists
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Appendix A (continued) Assets Design
Total Art Art Maps History History Community Architecture Architecture Way Finding Environment Environment Trail Description Photographs Drawings
Arts in Public Places: 2 3 1 1 2 3 1 2 3 18 Pittsburgh Ashville Urban Trail 2 2 3 1 3 2 2 3 1 19 Guide Chicago: In and Around 3 2 1 1 3 2 1 1 2 16 the Loop Covington Neighborhood 3 1 1 2 3 1 1 3 1 14 Areas Historic 3 2 1 1 3 1 2 2 3 18 Georgetown Not for Tourists 2 2 3 3 2 3 1 2 1 18 Chicago Toronto Trails 2 2 3 2 2 3 3 3 1 21 Walking in 3 3 3 2 3 2 2 2 2 22 Baltimore Walking 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 27 Brooklyn Walking L. A. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 27 Walking the Steps of 3 2 1 3 3 1 3 3 1 20 Cincinnati Washington 3 3 1 1 3 3 1 2 3 20 D. C. Total 32 28 24 24 33 27 23 29 24
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