Google unveils the new Kirkland Campus Wednesday

This past Wednesday, October 25^th, Google held a ceremonial opening of the new Kirkland Campus located at 747 6^th Street South. Brier Dudley of the Seattle Times attended the opening and discusses the reasons why Google selected Kirkland for its new campus:

“best high-tech places in the world” states Alan Eustace, Google Senior Vice President.

“I’d rather be part of a community than just another building.” states Larry Page, Google Co-Founder.

Google’s reasons for choosing Kirkland are not only held by the business community but echoed by residents and employees as well. First and foremost whether resident, employee or employer we are all striving to be part of a larger community and in turn, community needs all these components to thrive. The pieces need to be thoughtfully designed, compact, sustainable and with a focus towards quality of life. Something Kirkland has.

A walkable community (i.e. Kirkland) by definition fulfills all these criteria by putting work, play, home and the environment together in a safe and thoughtfully designed way that merges resident, employee and employer into one.

The Google campus is another significant addition to the areas cluster of high tech companies, higher education such as the University of Washington, and other businesses together creating collaboration and synergy that will foster stability and confidence in our region for both residents and employers. This confidence in turns supports necessary infrastructure required to sustain a vibrant urban area.

Similarly, the new Nettleton Community is also a significant addition to the City of Kirkland, in response to the demands to live closer to employment, entertainment, schools… The new community provides a variety of housing to the area, maintains the look and feel of Kirkland through classic Northwest Architecture and the restoration of the Nettleton Mansion a local landmark all within an once underdeveloped urban infill site. The location of the Nettleton site is only a little over quarter mile from the new Google Campus making living and working here “eco” and “economically” friendly (i.e. lose the car), and healthy and sustainable, (i.e. walk and frequent local businesses).

Why Is a Walkable Community Important?

The simple fact is, if you live in a walkable community, one that has some where to walk to, you are more apt to get out and do it. This motivation over time will lead to a better quality of life, better health and is fun.

This is becoming more and more important as our hectic lives, modern conveniences and electronic age reduce our our activity levels significantly. This has led to increasingly sedentary lifestyles for more and more people. In fact the percentage of adults who spend MOST of their day sitting increased from 36.8% in 2000 to 39.9% in 2005. This inactivity is now the second leading cause of preventable death in the United States, second only to tobacco use. Walking is considered by many fitness professional as a way to supplement or begin an exercise program, add to quality of life and reduce stress. Medicinenet.com created an important list of 10 reasons we should all walk get out and walk more:

1. Walking prevents type 2 diabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program showed that walking 150 minutes per week and losing just 7% of your body weight (12-15 pounds) can reduce your risk of diabetes by 58%.

2. Walking strengthens your heart if you're male. In one study, mortality rates among retired men who walked less than one mile per day were nearly twice that among those who walked more than two miles per day.

3. Walking strengthens your heart if you're female. Women in the Nurse's Health Study (72,488 female nurses) who walked three hours or more per week reduced their risk of a heart attack or other coronary event by 35% compared with women who did not walk.

4. Walking is good for your brain. In a study on walking and cognitive function, researchers found that women who walked the equivalent of an easy pace at least 1.5 hours per week had significantly better cognitive function and less cognitive decline than women who walked less than 40 minutes per week. Think about that!

5. Walking is good for your bones. Research shows that postmenopausal women who walk approximately one mile each day have higher whole-body bone density than women who walk shorter distances, and walking is also effective in slowing the rate of bone loss from the legs.

6. Walking helps alleviate symptoms of depression. Walking for 30 minutes, three to five times per week for 12 weeks reduced symptoms of depression as measured with a standard depression questionnaire by 47%.

7. Walking reduces the risk of breast and colon cancer. Women who performed the equivalent of one hour and 15 minutes to two and a half hours per week of brisk walking had an 18% decreased risk of breast cancer compared with inactive women. Many studies have shown that exercise can prevent colon cancer, and even if an individual person develops colon cancer, the benefits of exercise appear to continue both by increasing quality of life and reducing mortality.

8. Walking improves fitness. Walking just three times a week for 30 minutes can significantly increase cardiorespiratory fitness.

9. Walking in short bouts improves fitness, too! A study of sedentary women showed that short bouts of brisk walking (three 10-minute walks per day) resulted in similar improvements in fitness and were at least as effective in decreasing body fatness as long bouts (one 30-minute walk per day).

10. Walking improves physical function. Research shows that walking improves fitness and physical function and prevents physical disability in older persons.

Village Walk in Bothell Scores 88 on Walkscore.com

Walkscore.com a website that allows you to find a walkable place to live by calculating a Walk Score for any address ranks Village Walk in Bothell an 88 which equates to “Very Walkable”.  Walk Score uses a patent-pending system to measure the walkability of an address. The Walk Score algorithm awards points based on the distance to the closest amenity in each category. If the closest amenity in a category is within .25 miles (or .4 km), it assign the maximum number of points. The number of points declines as the distance approaches 1 mile (or 1.6 km)—no points are awarded for amenities further than 1 mile. Each category is weighted equally and the points are summed and normalized to yield a score from 0–100. The number of nearby amenities is the leading predictor of whether people walk.

The ranking goes from Car Dependant to Walkers Paradise. The general guidelines for interpreting your score:

·       90–100 = Walkers' Paradise: Most errands can be accomplished on foot and many people get by without owning a car.

·       70–89 = Very Walkable: It's possible to get by without owning a car.

·       50–69 = Somewhat Walkable: Some stores and amenities are within walking distance, but many everyday trips still require a bike, public transportation, or car.

·       25–49 = Car-Dependent: Only a few destinations are within easy walking range. For most errands, driving or public transportation is a must.

·       0–24 = Car-Dependent (Driving Only): Virtually no neighborhood destinations within walking range. You can walk from your house to your car!

In addition to your walk score, Walkscore.com provides great information on what makes a neighborhood walkable, why walking matters and provides links to a host of related websites and blogs. 

 

Feet First Maps Kirkland

Feet First a non-profit organization serving Washington State to “promote the rights and interests of pedestrians and encourage walking” has mapped the City of Kirkland.

“Neighborhoods on Foot series” as the maps are called are “periodicals” and include current events, schools, parks, transits, trails, civil buildings and more. The maps are easy to use and include radius markers that give walkers a general idea how long it will take to walk to a certain location. For example, the Nettleton Commons Community, a new housing community near downtown Kirkland is shown within a 5 minute walk of Peter Kirk Park, Kirkland Transit Center, Kirkland Library, Performance Center, Lee Johnson Field and many other popular destinations.

The maps can be found online (not all maps are available) or free from and many shops, cafes, libraries, and community centers.

Walking towards better health

Most of us can definitely use more exercise in our daily routine. Let’s face it, without your health, what do you have? So, every year we set out with lofty goals to go to the gym, run, swim, bike and so on. By March gym attendance drops, motivation wanes and we set aside our goals because getting to the gym or pool was time consuming, traffic and parking was stressful, the gym was crowded, expensive and quite frankly we just got bored with the whole thing. So what can we do? A simple answer is walk. Walking is the oldest and least expensive form of exercise and most importantly it works!! About.com reports that “Walkers have less incidence of cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other killer diseases. They live longer and get mental health and spiritual benefits.” USA Today reports on a recent study conducted by The Active Living Research Program at San Diego State University, that “People did 40 to 50 minutes more physical activity per week if their neighborhoods were designed for pedestrians…” which ultimately led to the conclusion that these people were healthier and leaner overall.

In addition, walking can be the easy, inexpensive and fun way to get started on a new fitness lifestyle. The Walking Site, a website dedicated to walking, says it best, “The toughest thing about starting a fitness program is developing a habit.” Too many of us rush out in the beginning and push ourselves too hard. This can result in fatigue, possible injury and worse burnout. To combat this, start off slow. Walkingsite.com recommends, “…walk for 10 minutes, and walk back. That's it? Yes, that's it. Do this every day for a week. If this was easy for you, add five minutes to your walks next week (total walking time 25 minutes). Keep adding 5 minutes until you are walking as long as desired.” Not only will this plan get you healthier in the process, it is attainable, and will start to modify your behavior until physical activity becomes a part of your everyday life. Most importantly make sure to do this regularly for at least a month as 21 days of routine behavior is the widely accepted time frame for creating (or changing) a habit. This accomplishment, change in everyday activity and how you feel will no doubt take you on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

As well as being healthy, walking is a peaceful and interesting way to get exercise. As opposed to squeezing into the gym and watching TV while you walk on a device that tries to mimic the natural world, instead get outside and see what your community has to offer. Watching the seasons change, visiting a new business in your community, walking your kids to school are all fun adventures that will surely take your mind off the fact that you are actually getting exercise. Yes, sometimes the weather can be less than perfect, but with the right preparation a brisk walk to a local coffee shop can be a healthy and invigorating adventure during any season. So, gather up your family, friends and neighbors and get out and walk to your health, the rewards tomorrow could Literally change your life.

Kirkland Triathlon September 20, 2009

Kirkland will be hosting the Kirkland Triathlon at Carillon Point on September 20th starting at 7:00 AM. The Kirkland Triathlon debuted in 2002 and included over 1300 athletes which made it one of the largest first year sprint Tri’s in US history!!!!

This year will no doubt be full of energy and excitement brining athletes from all around to downtown Kirkland. Even if you have not participated in a Triathlon or even watched one, don’t miss it, it is always exciting and motivating.

Ever thought about competing in a triathlon, marathon or other athletic event? Or maybe you just want to get into the gym more frequently, run a couple days a week? Well where you live matters. Having the right amenities near you is crucial to maintaining your schedule and motivation. There is nothing more frustrating than working late and having to drive in traffic to your gym, pool or lake to get your exercise.

In contrast, downtown Kirkland offers EVERYTHING you need to, recreate, maintain your health and train to the next level. Several gyms are located in Downtown Kirkland including my favorite Kirkland Crossfit. In addition, ball fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, skate park and outdoor pool are all centrally located in Peter Kirk Park. Of course Mother Nature provided the most amazing of all training grounds, Lake Washington which is an integral part of downtown Kirkland and provides endless opportunities for exercise including open water swimming, jogging (around) and kayaking. Last but definitely not least is biking. Biking is not only embraced in Kirkland, it is encouraged and many residents preferred mode of transportation. Just recently, The City of Kirkland installed a new sensor system that is used by bikers to activate traffic signals similar to how automobiles do currently. Very Cool!!!!

So considering your health and activities when choosing a home is crucial and will pay “quality of life” dividends everyday. Consider something that is close to everything, easy to maintain and has some room for all your exercise necessities: Mountain Bike, Road Bike, Tri-Bike, Kayak, Roller Blades, Skateboards, Paddleboard, Basketball, Football, Tennis Racket (you get the picture) A perfect example is the Nettleton Commons located a stones throw from downtown Kirkland offering beautiful new (which means very little maintenance) single family homes with garages (to hold all your equipment) and grounds that are maintained by the Homeowners association, so you can focus on having fun!!!! Come check out Nettleton Commons after you watch the finishers accomplish their goals at the Kirkland Triathlon.

Walkable Neighborhoods equals Housing Recovery and Increased Value

When I think of “Walkable Neighborhoods” the first thing that comes to mind is Quality of Life.

The idea that I don’t have to get into my automobile and instead being able to get outside, exercise and visit places where I want to be on foot is all that I need. However, there is also a direct economic benefit to Walkable Neighborhoods that may not always get recognized and in these difficult times may present buyers a great opportunity. The Concord Group, (a leading real estate strategy firm with offices in Newport Beach, San Francisco and Boston. TCG's employing 40 consultants completing over 350 assignments annually in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America). recently prepared a report titled “United States Housing Outlook, When Will Markets Recover?” In this report, The Concord Group forecasts the U.S. housing market and discusses both risk and opportunity in real estate. The report shows significant variations in regional real estate markets based on a wide variety of contributing factors. One such area that was discussed was the opportunities that exist within specific submarkets even when the greater region may be suffering. The report specifically states “Locations with proximity to quality schools, accessible leisure and entertainment options and diversity of jobs will also outperform recover timeframes. Submarket-level analyses will identify opportunities and constraints that diverge from the regional average. Regions with strong long-term growth fundamentals and diversified economic bases will emerge earliest, whereas the outlying commuter markets will lag”. It goes on to say that “quality new housing” in core employment centers are expected to be an opportunity, particularly in competitive infill environments.

Another report, "Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Housing Values in U.S. Cities," commissioned by CEO’s for Cities which is a national network of urban leaders from civic, business, academic and philanthropic sectors look at 94,000 real-estate transactions in 15 markets. In 13 of those markets, higher levels of "walkability" were DIRECTLY linked to higher home values. The report is one of a kind in that it looked solely at the economics of living within a Walkable community and left other items such as the health and environmental benefits alone. One example was two neighborhoods in Charlotte N.C. where one neighborhood with a walk score of 54 had median home prices of $280,000 while in Whilmore, where the average score was 71, median prices of similar homes were $314,000 with each point increase in Walkability resulting in a $500 to $3000 increase in value. In the end the report concludes with the idea that "This is not about people having to live without cars." Rather, it's about giving people the option to use them less often. "They don't need to use them for every single trip, and when they do have to, they don't have to drive as far,"

Simply put, communities that are close to jobs, schools, restaurants, retail etc…are the homes that depreciate the least in tough economic times and the first to recover when things improve. So while your walking to your favorite restaurant, park or walking the kids to school, not only is your quality of life improved, by you can be secure in knowing that you’ve made the best possible investment in your home possible.