From: pfleeger@rand.org

Here is a press release from RAND that may be of interest to the
readers of Communit-E, particularly the ones who are concerned with
walkability and safety.
Shari

RAND STUDY FINDS WALKING IS MORE LIKELY IN NEIGHBORHOODS
WITH MORE FOUR-WAY INTERSECTIONS, DIVERSE BUSINESS MIX

People are more likely to walk when they live in neighborhoods where
there are more four-way intersections and a diverse mixture of
businesses, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today.

A greater density of housing also may encourage walking, but only once
density reaches a relatively high level, according to the RAND Health
study that is one of the first to test whether urban design
recommendations for creating walkable communities may help achieve
their goal.

"Our findings may provide some guidance to designers and urban
planners as they try to create communities where people are encouraged
to walk instead of always traveling by car," said Rob Boer, a RAND
natural scientist and lead author of the study. "This is one of the
first studies to test the notions about what factors in the built
environment may increase walking."

Researchers from RAND, a nonprofit research organization, examined
survey information from residents in 10 major U.S. cities about their
walking habits and compared the results to the characteristics of the
neighborhoods where those people lived.

Published in the February edition of the American Journal of
Preventive Medicine, the study was designed to test four basic
criteria developed as a part of the New Urbanism Smart Scorecard to
help urban planners create communities that encourage walking.

Researchers found no evidence that shorter blocks encouraged more
walking as suggested by the Scorecard. The effect of housing density
on walking was mixed. Only when density reached 14 units per acre or
more did the number of walking trips increase, according to the study.

Business diversity increased walking until there were four types of
businesses in a neighborhood, and then the impact plateaued. While
there was a consistent link between the number of four-way
intersections and walking, the impact was not particularly strong,
researchers say.

"We will need to examine whether these items have to be done in
concert in order to have a big impact on walking," Boer said. "We also
need to explore other factors, such as whether people who are
interested in walking may seek out certain types of neighborhoods."

Data for the study was taken from the National Personal Transportation
Survey of 1995 that included interviews of 42,033 households
nationwide. The main cities were Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit,
Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and
Washington. Information about the urban makeup of study neighborhoods
was taken from the 2000 Census.

Other authors of the report are Yuhui Zheng, Adrian Overton, Gregory
K. Ridgeway and Deborah A. Cohen of RAND. Support for the project was
provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

RAND Health, a division of the RAND Corporation, is the nation's
largest independent health policy research program, with a broad
research portfolio that focuses on quality, costs and delivery, among
other topics.

* * *
From: Solberg, Andrew (MPD) <Andrew.Solberg@dc.gov>

Yesterday morning at about 8:40 am, two armed men wearing masks
entered the ACE hardware store in the bottom of 4500 Wisconsin Avenue.
The two men entered through the loading dock area and robbed the
store. There were no injuries. As officers were responding to the
scene, officers spotted the getaway car, a white Cadillac being driven
by a young woman, near Wisconsin and Van Ness St. During a short
pursuit that began at Wisconsin and Upton St, officers followed the
car to the 3400 block of 29th St, NW (the street behind the Uptown
Theater directly to the west) where it hit another car.

All three suspects bailed out and fled on foot. One man was
apprehended after he jumped a fence and was hiding in the rear of the
Uptown Theater. With the help of citizens who alerted us, we
maintained a perimeter around the area bounded by 30th St, Connecticut
Avenue, and Ordway and Porter Sts. A short time later a second
suspect was caught hiding in a shed in the alley inside this perimeter.

The female has not been caught but we believe we will be able to find
her. Evidence was recovered.

The investigation is ongoing, and as we are able to provide more
detailed information we will do so.
Andy Solberg
Commander, Second District
* * *
From: Carolyn Long@tenleytown@yahoogroups.com
Mayor Fenty will be a guest speaker at the March 1 meeting of
Tenleytown Neighbors Association, 7:00 p.m. at St. Columba's Church,
room 212, 4201 Albemarle Street NW. The public is welcome.

From: Heneson, Lynne (ACF) <lynne.heneson@acf.hhs.gov>
Just in case Robert Golden gets all booked up, I have another great
contractor to recommend. His name is Mike Smith and he too does
kitchens and bathrooms, as well as other renovation projects. His
contact information is as follows:
woodsmith@frontiernet.net
301 807 5240
If your experience is like mine, you will find him communicative,
creative, reasonable, reliable, talented, and pleasant.
Lynne Heneson lheneson@aol.com
* * *