25 Sep The Doable City Reader. Chapter 3: Network Connections

Far too often, pieces of city infrastructure — whether bike lanes, parks or transit lines — are conceived of and built piece by piece. But just like how the roads in a city are only useful because they’re all connected to one another (as well as to highways, parking lots and gas stations), it is critical that other systems be designed in the same way: as rich networks interwoven in a symbiotic relationship with other networks. The more we do that, the more useful every individual piece becomes.

The third chapter of the Doable City Reader—a resource for any and all people who want to make change in their cities—offers ways to build bicycle lanes that actually get people cycling, create parks and public spaces that exceed their own boundaries, and make the city system more powerful by linking networks together.

The Doable City Reader was developed out of the June 2014 Chicago Doable City Forum, which brought together two hundred civic innovators from around North America. Inside, you’ll find stories, examples and case studies of small actions that can scale up to make our cities happier, healthier and more prosperous places. Each chapter contains resources and ideas to bring these solutions to your communities.