Breakfast links: You are what you eat

by Eric Fidler • August 6, 2010 8:20 am

Steal this car... please? (Photo by Timmy Farol on Flickr)

UMD's East Campus rises from the ashes: The University of Maryland is negotiating with Baltimore-based Cordish Companies to develop the stalled East Campus development project. (Rethink College Park, Cavan)

DC's worst slumlord: DC has quietly shuttered it Home Again program that sold vacant city properties to people to renovate. Despite years of boom-time real estate investment, the city still holds an embarrassingly large portfolio of unsold and still-blighted properties. (City Paper)

Soccer moms rejoice!: Nobody wants to steal your Toyota Sienna! Then again, it's hard to steal a car that suddenly drives off on its own. (The Economist)

If you're building in San Francisco: An affordable housing complex planned in San Francisco faces stiff opposition from neighbors upset that the building will only provide a total of five parking spaces for its 71 units. On average each parking space in SF adds $30,000 to the construction cost of each unit. (SF Chronicle via Planetizen)

Fare gate somersault: Usually smarter is faster, but the new, smarter SmarTrip readers take longer to process each transaction. Slow down or you might somersault over the fare gates. (Washington Post)

Drop that burger: Despite Sec. LaHood's good intentions, the link between obesity and walkability is weak. No amount of walking will counteract lunch at McDonald's. (Next American City)

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18 comments

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Eric Fidler has lived in DC and suburban Maryland his entire life. He likes long walks along the Potomac and considers the L'Enfant Plan an elegant work of art. He also blogs at Left for LeDroit, LeDroit Park's (only) blog of record.

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That explains the faregate attacking my knees earlier this week when I was following someone ahead of me and it showed my smartrip had swiped.

by Q on Aug 6, 2010 8:46 am • link • report

I'm pretty sure that the District Government and suburban churches own over half of the vacant properties in the District. Good thing they keep giving those churchies tax breaks on those nuisance properties. Otherwise, they might end up full of gentrifiers and, before you know it, your treeboxes are full of grass instead of chicken bones and hobo poo.

by monkeyrotica on Aug 6, 2010 8:50 am • link • report

In terms of SF parking, I had an argument with Mperkins a while ago on parking in falls church. He was quoting a price of 30-50K per parking space, so it is interesting that in a higher cost area, where the developer also has to pay for land, they are able to come in at the low end of that figure.

I'd agree a lot of the research that correlates walkability with leanness is really just measuring the socio-economic gap. Obesity is more of a poor people problem. But where I think walkability really works is keeping off 5-10 pounds of extra fat for middle class people. Very true in NYC, somewhat true in DC. Hell, they have done studies with diabetics where people who can't sit still manage to keep their blood sugar under control, so to claim not walking a mile or two a day doesn't help isn't very useful.

by charlie on Aug 6, 2010 9:04 am • link • report

...I've long been cursing the faregates' vertical positioning in line with a rather sensitive body part, and the last couple days I've gotten to partake in more frequent & intimate interactions with those gates.

by Bossi on Aug 6, 2010 9:34 am • link • report

At this point I say bypass the gates completely. Walk through the passthrough gate if the fare gates aren't working or are backed up because they take 1-2 seconds longer to process each person now. Don't wait for some moody Metro attendant to angrily wave you through, just make your own decision and bypass the bother.

by James on Aug 6, 2010 9:48 am • link • report

SF is a good example of what happens when overregulation and NIMBYism decimates housing and rental markets. DC may be on that same course.

by aaa on Aug 6, 2010 9:53 am • link • report

To follow up on Charlie's train of thought: Just because transportation can work at the margins of the larger obesity solution doesnÂ’t mean it shouldnÂ’t be pursued as an obesity solution at all, or that obesity shouldnÂ’t be used as a secondary reason to promote good transportation policy.

by Stephen Miller on Aug 6, 2010 10:33 am • link • report

@StephenMiller; I think walking is a great way to AVOID putting on weight; as a weight-loss technique it doesn't' work so well. The only real way to lose weight is to change your diet.

by charlie on Aug 6, 2010 10:40 am • link • report

I think the article was a little too dismissive of walkable development, despite correctly pointing out its limited role in obesity. I would say education is a larger factor (providing the knowledge of how to maintain health and the means to do so). That said, that DC has one of the lowest obesity rates in the country is suggestive that alternatives to auto-centric development may play a role (though paradoxically, DC's obesity rate among children is one of the highest, perhaps a reflection of poor education?)

by Tmichaels on Aug 6, 2010 10:40 am • link • report

I agree that transportation isn't THE solution to obesity, but I'd say it's certainly a part of it. I've lost 4.5 kg since moving into DC two months ago & turning to a transit commute... though I also credit eating better, thanks to great food options (not good- but better); relying less on Spaghettios, mac/cheese, and rather lacking selections at the store. ...Not to say I don't still indulge in Spaghettios once in awhile.

by Bossi on Aug 6, 2010 10:43 am • link • report

I probably should've worded the walkabilty link differently. In any event, though walking is certainly a healthful activity, resolving poor eating habits will likely have a far greater impact on the obesity epidemic.

by Eric Fidler on Aug 6, 2010 11:34 am • link • report

I agree that transportation isn't THE solution to obesity, but I'd say it's certainly a part of it. I've lost 4.5 kg since moving into DC two months ago & turning to a transit commute... though I also credit eating better, thanks to great food options (not good- but better); relying less on Spaghettios, mac/cheese, and rather lacking selections at the store. ...Not to say I don't still indulge in Spaghettios once in awhile.
by Bossi on Aug 6, 2010 10:43 am

Wasn't DC ranked as one of the "states" with the lowest rates of obesity? I know these rankings can be laughingly superficial and never really drill down to the true heart of the matter, but nonetheless, the article I read did mention public transportation as being one key factor in the low ranking.

by Jazzy on Aug 6, 2010 11:47 am • link • report

I probably should've worded the walkabilty link differently. In any event, though walking is certainly a healthful activity, resolving poor eating habits will likely have a far greater impact on the obesity epidemic.
by Eric Fidler on Aug 6, 2010 11:34 am

Ah, that's a hugely debatable topic!

by Jazzy on Aug 6, 2010 11:48 am • link • report

@ Jazzy. Yes - the 2009 data showed that DC had an obesity rate of 19.7% of residents (Colorado was the only state with a lower obesity rate - something like 19%).

by Tmichaels on Aug 6, 2010 12:05 pm • link • report

What the hell has been up with the Foggy Bottom faregates lately?

by Marian Berry on Aug 6, 2010 3:11 pm • link • report

On the walkability-obesity question, this seems like a job for multivariate analysis! Just identifying another, more important variable (poverty or eating habits) doesn't answer the question. This is why squinting thoughtfully at ranked lists ("Reno is in the top ten!") often doesn't cut it.

by Jake H. on Aug 6, 2010 4:18 pm • link • report

Thanks for the posting on the SmarTrip readers! I began noticing different speeds some time ago, plowing into the gates where I previously had been able to pass through without breaking my stride. I thought that it had something to do with the way I was holding my card, but they all are sluggish now. Highly annoying.

by Matthias on Aug 10, 2010 2:39 pm • link • report

Did they upgrade the SmartTrip fare machines at all? I just added to my card Monday morning in Greenbelt and was astonished at how quickly it processed my transaction... it asked me to swipe my SmartTrip card again almost instantly; whereas usually it takes 10-15 seconds. I had to read my receipt a couple times over just to convince myself it worked properly.

by Bossi on Aug 10, 2010 2:49 pm • link • report