Building Drinking-Safe Suburbs

Part of the reason I have some pity for people who get busted for drunk driving is that I understand why it happens. (Although it’s still not an excuse.) Most towns in America are designed around driving; it is literally impossible in most places to go get a drink without traveling.

(Yes, get a cab. I agree. But I can sympathize without condoning.)

One small community in Westminster, Colorado has been constructed with an eye toward mitigating the drinking-and-driving problem, both physically—there are bars within walking distance—and socially, by encouraging families to get together on porches and in parks to drink. Sounds pretty great.

Every home in Bradburn includes a large front porch—not just a token 2 foot concrete stoop.  Garages are all in the back, and homes here also have very small setbacks (the distance between the house and the sidewalk, or front yard), meaning the porches sit right above the sidewalks.  This means people sitting on their front porches easily see neighbors walking by, and they stop to talk, creating a community bond that is so elusive in most traditional suburban neighborhoods. 

Won’t You Be My Drinking Buddy Neighbor? [Fermentarium via Boing Boing]