Communication Builds Our Community

Lake Wales Continues to Draw National Attention for Envisioned Planning

Planning Process Seeks to Avoid Worst Impacts of Development

Lake Wales has once again been featured in a major publication citing the pioneering planning work contained in Lake Wales Envisioned. That document, funded by the City of Lake Wales, is a comprehensive road map to a future that promises less impact from growth and a more habitable city.

An article that in the online magazine Public Square says that "Lake Wales, Florida, has adopted a plan that puts active mobility at the heart of day-to-day life."

Entitled "Planning a City that Gets People Moving" the story by magazine editor Robert Steuteville trumpets the city's adoption of the Lake Wales Envisioned plan created by the award-winning planning team of Dover, Kohl & Partners, citing the work of Wade Walker, a transportation engineer with Kittelson & Associates who led the conceptual designs for the plan's "Complete Streets."

The story, which can be read in its entirety here, also credits the work of John Simmerman, founder of Active Towns, who is quoted as saying that "physical activity is a natural part of the daily living for humans."

The Envisioned plan is credited for "creating a built environment that promotes mobility through walking, cycling, e-biking, or other means of transportation beside automobiles. The plan accomplished that "through proximity-to a park, multi-use pathway, protective bike lane, or walkable destination," the story tells readers. It cites the creation of a "Big Green Network" as one way to assure citizens remain connected with nature and the outdoor activities that help keep them healthy.

The Envisioned plan produced a list of 20 specific steps that must be taken by the city commission to employ the tools and avoid the worst impacts of unavoidable development which is already promising more than 15,000 new dwelling units within city limits.

"Public Square: A CNU Journal" is described as a national publication of the Center for the New Urbanism "dedicated to illuminating and cultivating best practices."

 

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