By most measures, Milwaukee’s got a long way to go before it can be called a "walkable city," but there are pockets of great walkability here. And our bike-to-work population is still tiny, but growing by leaps and bounds.
Next week, some Milwaukee schools will host events for Walk to School Day and Bike to School Day.
But a big indicator of our growing walkability was announced today.
As we speak, on the tip of the triangle at North Avenue and Ivanhoe Place, in front of Hooligan’s, Mayor Tom Barrett, Ald. Nik Kovac and Jim Plaisted of the East Side Business Improvement District, are announcing a new partnership with Zipcar that will put a Zipcar station in the parking lot behind the U.S. Bank on Farwell and North.
Two vehicles – a Toyota Prius ($8.50 per hour, $69 per day) and a Ford Focus ($7.50 an hour; $69 a day) – will be available at the location, augmenting two each at UWM’s Cambridge Commons and Sandburg Circle Drive, and one each at the Kenilworth Building, Cunningham Hall on the UWM campus and on Commerce Street.
Representatives from Zipcar are there, too, to showcase vehicles, offer demos of the technology and more.
Zipcar first came to Milwaukee – at UWM and Marquette – a few years ago.
In his book "Walkable Cities," city planner Jeff Speck writes, "Every city wants Zipcar. Does Zipcar want them back? Probably not. ... This superficially pro-driving enterprise cannot thrive in your city unless you have already moved beyond the pro-driving paradigm. Because if everybody has a car, nobody needs one.
"If the design of your city still makes daily driving a prerequisite to viable citizenship, then you are not yet ready for urban car-share. ... There is only one challenge to Zipcar, which is that they are too smart to locate in unwalkable cities."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.