Category Archives: Transportation

Transportation news, theories, maps and ideas, along with navigation tips.

Cities, Cityreads, Transportation

Placebook: Is North Carolina Ready for A Vehicle Mileage Tax?

My car parked. Will it be parked more because of potential new VMT?
My car parked. Will it be parked more because of a potential new VMT?

Yesterday I linked to an article that mentioned that the NC DOT has decided to study the implementation of a Vehicle Mileage Tax (VMT). I thought it was an April Fools joke. I was wrong. For those of you out of the loop, this is a tax collected by a meter either placed on your car or along roadways to register how many miles you drive. You then pay taxes based on how much you drive. This would replace the fuel tax that we currently pay at the pump and raise more money for transportation needs.

While this has become the preferred method of taxing drivers of many of my urbanist and good governance friends, I’m concerned that we as a state just aren’t quite ready to make the switch. First of all, we don’t have reasonable alternatives to driving in 90% of the state. The kinds of folks who would avoid this tax by not driving tend to be affluent or at least not burdened by having an extra or higher tax, work at home, or within walking distance from their jobs. Yet, many of the jobs that pay low, such as restaurants and warehouses, as well as  many offices that pay a normal wage and require daily attendance, require a significant drive. While gas prices would drop under this plan, the taxes would be shifted and possibly increase under this plan, causing pain to even those who are somewhat well off, but not able to absorb a higher tax bill.

Which wouldn’t be so bad, if all that new tax money went to creating and strengthening transit, putting in more sidewalks and even to incentives for offices and other non-industrial grade businesses to move into easily walkable areas, so that people don’t have to drive as much. I however, don’t trust the state government in its current iteration to funnel the money properly. The article alludes to the state government considering this tax only because we are in budget shortfall for our current vehicle-related tax methods. Also, we are just adjusting to toll roads, and that’s in the populous and relatively affluent cities of the state. This tax could essentially turn every road into a toll road, in a time where salaries and wages are not keeping pace with our expenses. Things could change, as this measure is studied and tested, but right now, if it were implemented today, I believe it would be an extra burden.

And with that, today’s news:

Wake County Schools has filed suit to recover 1 million dollars of bond money from Wake County.

The state feels confident that the food stamp backlog is behind them. Guilford’s DSS named an interim director and also criticized the state for sending mixed messages about whether or not the backlog is really gone.

The City of Greensboro will not appeal to the state utilities commission to get their tree ordinance back. Everything else that happened last night can be found by searching for #gsopol on Twitter.

What’s going on in the Triad area restaurant and food scene.

Suggestions on how High Point can remain an events center year-round.

Wilmington residents are picketing for higher firefighter and police salaries.

Managers at the Hamilton Forest owned by N.C. State University may have violated the Clean Water Act.

A Southern Season is still planning to come to Charlotte.

The DOT has hired a firm to count ballots placed in a vote to determine whether or not to build noise walls on Charlotte’s I-277.

UNCG’s new pedestrian tunnel under the railroad bridge has opened. UNC-Chapel Hill has opened a new imaging research building.

Citizens and police assess Fayetteville’s Massey Hill Neighborhood, which as soon as ten years ago was ground zero for major crime activity.

Durham’s Parkwood Volunteer Fire Department has fired its chief and is restructuring as it’s been threatened with budget cuts.

Cumberland County Schools will eliminate 80 jobs next year, 50 of those teaching. New Hanover County Schools has established its teacher tenure process.

Durham’s Human Relations Commission is nearing the end of its investigation into Durham police tactics.

A former Durham school board member has suspended his legal action after losing in a runoff election, that has raised questions about the election process for school board leaders.

Harnett County Commissioners have stopped their legal action against a local shooting range.

If statewide film incentives are not increased, it may cause the loss of 4,000 jobs, according to a recent study.

Brunswick County Schools may change their daily start times for students.

A Wilmington man will be helping plant the White House Kitchen Garden.

And finally, North Carolina natives, let us be proud of how we talk.

Cities, Cityreads, DC, Government, Greensboro, Jobs, Links, Rail, Transportation

Placebook: What Is the State of Greensboro in 2014?

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This week, the annual State of Our City Report is out and it’s no surprise to anyone who pays attention and tries to change any of these things. In light of this information, I have a few questions. First, how do we bring jobs and money back on a consistent basis? How do we nurture what we have? And finally how do we keep from being discouraged, resentful, bitter or inadequate in our quest and in light of other cities and industries? Check out the News and Record article here. The full report is here and look for a longer analysis from me in the coming days.

Speaking of city leaders, here’s a really great long form article from Eric Ginsburg in Yes! Weekly on our departing city manager and a nice article from the News and Record on what’s next for Action Greensboro.

And with that, here are a few more news links to get your weekend started:

New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio launching VisionZero plan to eliminate all pedestrian fatalities, which could set a national standard in how we handle this issue.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx addresses the Transportation Review Board this week with a pledge to make bike/ped safety a priority.

Yes, most of the fried chicken restaurant signs in Britain are made by the same man and yes, they all want to look somewhat alike.

Pre-summit thoughts on sustainable cities from the Transforming Transportation Institute, held this week in DC along with the TRB and Transportation Camp.

The Durham Police, in their own words.

Another instance of free speech/congregating turned into trespassing and loitering.

The 11 dollar DC minimum wage is real.

The African American Atllier, one of the city supported art galleries here in Greensboro, celebrates itself in its new exhibit. Uptown Artworks, another emerging gallery, hosts its first major show.Or jet off to this island, which boasts 100 museums.

Next Wednesday: Community Forum on the future of the Renaissance Community Co-op.

If you are running in the city, run in a city park.

I understand why parking isn’t really free, but still, can we not give a break to disabled drivers.

So yeah, this house isn’t real, but what is inside is vital to Raleigh. Meanwhile, Brad Pitt’s “Make It Right” homes in New Orleans need to be made right.

The case for a Chicago-based Obama Presidential Library and the end of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

And finally, take a virtual tour of the new DC Metro Silver Line and get ready for the Capital Wheel.

Cities, Cityreads, Links, Transportation

Placebook: We’re On the Move

Amtrak's Piedmont Arrives from Raleigh, one example of how people are on the move.
Amtrak’s Piedmont Arrives from Raleigh, one example of how people are on the move.

Hello everybody! Had a really good time at both SynerG on Tap at Natty Greenes and Councilwoman Nancy Hoffmann’s office hours at Scuppernong Books  last night, as well as playing bar trivia and coming in second place, which at Grey’s Tavern buys the table a round of drinks.

My shoutout of today goes to Cecelia Thompson, who will be assuming the lead position at Action Greensboro after five years of serving as director of projects, namely SynerG. SynerG was what helped me reconnect with my hometown as a civic-minded adult, and it continues to be a major part of my activities here in the area. Looking forward to what’s next and where the organization is going. And like my friends from The Foreign Exchange, Greensboro, and folks around Greensboro, are on the move. (Sidenote: Who can name all the Raleigh spots featured in the video?)

And like my friends from The Foreign Exchange, Greensboro, and folks around Greensboro, are on the move. (Sidenote: Who can name all the Raleigh spots featured in the video?)

So people have been asking, how can I get this information via email. If you are reading this version of the links and want to subscribe to email, email theblackurbanist@gmail.com and I will add you to the list.

And it’s links time:

The NC to DC High Speed rail compact met in DC on Tuesday. Could it have been about this bold move by the Japanese to fund a maglev train between DC and Baltimore?
Congrats to both Urban Cincy and Greater Greater Washington,  sister Streetsblog Network blogs on a stellar 2013. Hear Streetsblog Network founder Aaron Naparstek talk about why we do what we do and the impact of city blogs on cities across the nation and the world.
 Former Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s next gig: Co-Chair of Building America’s Futures.
 A new study out of the University of California-Berkley states that dense development unfortunately does not cancel out the carbon footprint of sprawl. Also, all the salt getting dumped on roads this winter is doing more harm than good, now that more roads exist.
Awesome buildings that are actually made from ice and snow and not just covered in it.
Art and ecosystems as economic development.
Downtown Raleigh getting more bike facilities, which could be lanes, sharrows or both.
Greensboro City Council is leery of paying incentive funds for a parking deck.
How Madison, Wisconsin’s new mayor is building on already strong urbanist elements in the city. Two mayors named Nancy, one on the record, the other not quite on the record.
Today in neighborhood friendliness fails. A front-yard veggie garden deemed inappropriate and a twelve-house quest to get extra vegetable oil for cookie baking. 
No more National Book Festival on the National Mall.
 
Cities, Cityreads, DC, Greensboro, Links, New York City, Rail, Transportation, Uncategorized

Placebook: Shelter Please, Because It’s Too Cold for the Polar Bears Too

Batman and well, nanas waiting at a bus stop. H/T to one of my Facebook friends for posting a version of this image.

Good Wednesday morning folks. For those of you in Greensboro, I’m looking forward to seeing you at either Nancy Hoffmann‘s office hours at Scuppermong Books or at SynerG on Tap at Natty Greene’s. Office hours start at 6 and the happy hour starts at 5:30.

In addition, before I get into the rest of the news links, I want to commend the efforts of our mayor, our shelters, the churches, the GPD and others who have worked diligently to make sure no one has to sleep in  a home with no heat or on the streets on these frigid nights. Here’s a Time Warner Cable News video about efforts at the Interactive Resource Center specifically to keep people warm.

I also want to congratulate our outgoing city manager Denise Turner-Roth, appointed by President Obama as the deputy administrator of the General Services Administration, which is responsible for all maintenance of federal buildings,  preservation of historic properties and government purchasing. I only wish I’d gotten to know Denise better during her time here in the city and greatly admired her work as assistant, acting, and full city manager for the City of Greensboro. I wish her well and will miss her. I also hope the city finds someone just as skilled and worthy to keep us moving in the right direction. The city council at their meeting last evening appointed Assistant City Manager Jim Westmoreland as acting city manager, effective February 1.

Final shoutout of the morning goes to my friend Tony Reames for co-authoring his first journal article :
Social Capital and Longitudinal Change in Sustainability Plans and Policies: U.S. Cities from 2000 to 2010

And with that, here’s the rest of the news I think is fit to read this morning:

Everything else that happened at the Greensboro City Council meeting last night.

As I mentioned in the title, it’s too cold for the polar bear at the Chicago Zoo.

Portland allowed homes just outside their growth boundary, but failed to provide necessary public services to said homes.

People in the East Village of Manhattan are trying to keep a beloved newsstand alive, despite pressure from gentrification and higher fees that may push the operator out of business.

The public transit tax cut hurts all commuters. 

The New York MetroCard is 20. 

Londoners have nicknamed their new skyscrapers after foods, kitchen tools and a stealth bomber.
Mayor DeBlasio had an open house and this is what it was like. He is also called upon to continue the growth of Silicon Alley, which although smaller, is more diverse in terms of people and locations throughout the region.
Troubles continue with the California high-speed train.

A new study highlights how urban poor, namely black poor often inherit their poverty and the feeling of being stuck in place. In Vancouver, the feeling that mixed neighborhoods cause more trouble than their worth.

Jay-Z at his show  in Greensboro on Sunday night gave a 12-year-old a chance to spit some bars.
And finally, be a part of a new storefront art installation, run by the Open Arts Society in Downtown Greensboro.
Cities, Cityreads, Links, Rail, Transportation

Placebook: This is MY STATE.

 

So whose state has grown steadily for 10 years? MINE!

I apologize in advance for those of you who will hear these guys in your head all day.  I just wanted to rub in this article, from Slate, on how my state, MY STATE, the state of my birth, my childhood, my family and friends, my higher educations, my coming of age and my career both on and off this page , that do I sometimes want to leave, has actually gained population 10 straight years in a row. Granted, this news is not from the Census, but it’s not that far off from what they said.  Also, DC is the only other area that’s grown for ten years straight. Considering that’s the only other place I want to live right now…read as you will. And read these things too while you are at it:

Some people are urbanist rockstars. Maybe that’s just because they are my friends in the business and good writers as such, but that just makes me love them more when they come back. Chuck Marohn is one of our best grassroots writer/placemakers we’ve got going. Sure, he does have a few official letters by his name, but it’s really what’s happened with Strong Towns, the evolution of his blog into a series of live conversations, thought leadership, books and a 501c3 membership nonprofit. Read this and see why he keeps us thinking, on our toes and pushes all of us to write better. (And makes some of us blush when he says similar glowing things in front of ones current and future mayor and people who don’t always understand why she’s doing what she’s doing for her city).

André Darmanin, is a similar sort. Although we’ve never had the honor of meeting in person, I know if I ever venture to Toronto, I will have a good time and we will discuss the mess out of progressive planning. He’s also been with me from the beginning, when this was a side piece of my original public blog Waxing Philosophical. He’s finally got a recurring column at Global Toronto. In this particular piece, he’s talking about how craft breweries are a key piece in a lot of downtown and neighborhood renovations. I can pinpoint our own Natty Greene’s as being a key driver of our revitalization in Greensboro.

The City of Raleigh (which I claim just as much as Greensboro because it’s our state capital and where I did my undergrad) is one of the best run cities in America. I like to think that director of planning (and mentor and friend) Mitchell Silver has something to do with that too. They also just passed a uniform design ordinance, bringing a more urbanist-leaning zoning code to one of our largest and most sprawling cities.

And then there’s Gabe Klein. Bikeshare rockstar. You have to thank him for both Capital Bikeshare and for Divvy. This article (behind partial paywall) is mostly about how he did the later.

Also, who doesn’t love a place-based comeback story. Here’s the latest initiative to come to Braddock, PA, a town famous for having a savior figure (who lives in a church basement non the less) . Even though there are critics that say  that these changes are not enough or the changes are one-sided, I like this initiative because it’s truly taking what’s already there and making something of it, this time with the gardens, food and willing workers who are already in training.

And it’s always good to see something in New Orléans come back to life. Especially if it’s the first full-service grocery owned by and catering to African-Americans in the area. It also originally opened in that very spot in 1938 and sells not only the normal stuff, but stuff true to New Orléans. It was also a community gathering place and people are eagerly awaiting its return, under its same ownership

Moving on, I do agree, Facebook is a good place to learn where people are moving. A few years ago with an older version, I used to click on the old stats page to see how many of my friends were from a certain area, dorm, etc.

It is also intriguing to see how migration patterns threaten established views of who belongs and what makes a person a part of a place, in other countries. In this case, we have  France.

What is it like for someone who’s from South Africa, and used to a halfway decent metro system, plus closer to the European and Asian masterpieces, to navigate some of our complicated rail transit systems? Here’s your answer. In addition, The new DC metro cars look nice and spiffy and they are finally going under testing in the DC area.

We now know the top-10 shipping container homes worldwide. Would you live in one by choice?

And finally, when is gentrification, gentrification?

Try to stay out of the polar vortex if you can folks!
Alexandria, Arts Districts, Atlanta, Cities, Cleveland, downtown, Durham, Greensboro, Jobs, Links, miami, New York City, Pittsburgh, Raleigh, Retail, Transportation

Placebook: Snow, Maybe?

Good Friday morning folks! Some of you are snowed in. Some of you are just cold. Count me in the cold bunch. If you want a good laugh, take a look at my account of what happens when we actually do get snow down South.

Greensboro Skyline covered in snow, January 19, 2013. Photo Credit: Kristen Jeffers
Greensboro Skyline covered in snow, January 19, 2013. Photo Credit: Kristen Jeffers

Whatever is going on outside, be safe, have fun and check out the articles below:

Harlem is on the one hand the home of the graffiti hall of fame and  the other a hotbed of gentrification.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles continues its march towards more transit, more parks and civic engagement.

Speaking of civic engagement, with the performing arts center funded, Greensboro leaders are moving towards deciding who’s going to operate it. Oh, and mark your calendars for all the known street festivals in Greensboro this year.

A sign in Miami tells pedestrians to thank drivers for not hitting them.

Terry Kerns(@terrykerns) documents significant demolitions in Atlanta, some nice, some ugly.

Jim Russell(@burghdiaspora) hasn’t slammed suburbia as much as he’s encouraged and documented the need for people to #makeyourcity and how young people are doing just that.

Kaid Benfield(@Kaid_at_NRDC)came back and elaborated on his comments on traditional downtowns, highlighting the generational gap in views on revitalization. I left a comment, stating the need for us to remain centralized, even if that means being polycentric. Also notable is the danger of having your content syndicated without its proper headline.

I don’t think manufacturing job losses are the reason Big 10 college football teams aren’t having the best seasons right now.

And finally, help this Alexandria, VA woman #FindBen, if he wants to be found. When Cragslist’s missed connections goes artisanal. http://dcist.com/2014/01/find_ben_alexandria_posters.php

That’s it for links this week. Be sure to look out for my 2014 Wishes for Good Places tomorrow just in time for brunch on the East Coast.

Bicycling, Cities, Cleveland, Housing, Links, New York City, Philadelphia, Rural, Transportation

Placebook: Where Veggies Come From

Happy Thursday! Yesterday I ate the traditional collard greens and black eyed peas at my grandmother’s with my mom, some uncles, and my cousins. My grandmother’s house sits on a few acres of land out in the country, not far from Greensboro. It’s no longer an active farm and it was never a big time deal, but when I was younger, my grandparents grew several rows of strawberries,corn, tomatoes and yellow squash, along with a patch of mixed greens. I used to hate going out there, especially in these summer due to the bugs, but now, I really appreciate what it means to know the true origins of certain vegetables. An adjacent farm has cows and horses and mules, along with this lovely pond, which you can sort of see below.

Out at my grandparents. The fields were behind the white house and so are the adjacent field with the pond. The main house is on the left. (Photo credit: Kristen Jeffers).
Out at my grandparents. Their  fields were behind the white house and so are the adjacent fields with the pond. The main house is on the left. (Photo credit: Kristen Jeffers).

This land and the land of others in the family is part of the reason I love the urban environment so much and want very much for both rural and urban (and really good in-between areas) to keep their character. Enough about that, here’s some links for your Thursday:

One of the best commentaries I’ve seen yet of what’s to come for NYC. Also, this one from my good friend Sarah Goodyear(@buttermilk1) She also wrote this cool article on the second lives of a suburban staple, the Pizza Hut.

The Overhead Wire (@theoverheadwire) spotlights some great street signs that have bikes printed where the bikes would need to turn to follow the official paths set by the town of Lafayette, CA.

Fireworks over several significant skylines to bring in the New Year.

What’s the best thing your city has done this year? Leaders in a handful of major cities share.

Philadelphia gets serious about developing a land bank.

Mayor Bloomburg took the subway home on his last day as mayor. He, along with the rest of NYC, can no longer take a horse-drawn carriage ride like in the movies.

Older renters will drive demand for apartments in the next decade according to this report.

And finally, urbanism (and the whole civic environment), is black and white in Cleveland. Shout out to Richey Piiparinen (@richeypipes), who through Belt Magazine and his own blog tell it like it truly is in Cleveland and through out the Midwest/Rust Belt region.

Also, please suggest ideas for this list by tagging them #tbuplacebook. The goal is for this to happen every weekday, including some holidays, depending on how they fall and how I feel. Thanks for reading!

Book Club, Chicago, Cities, creative class, DC, Education, Government, Greensboro, Links, New York City, Rail, Retail, Transportation

Placebook: Harvest of Our Future

 

Via Tumblr, commentary on the reduced federal transit subsidy and increased highway spending.

Happy New Year to all of you! I was looking forward to sharing a bit of news this morning, but it leaked. However, I will take this opportunity to thank my family, my friends and those of you who’ve stuck by this very page from the beginning, back when it was a side piece of my personal twitter and blog accounts, boosted by a class project. All of you who expressed congratulations on Facebook and wished me a Happy New Year and shared tweets and statuses I am deeply grateful. I know this isn’t Thanksgiving, but I was on hiatus on Thanksgiving, so here is my gratitude.

My goal is that 2014 is a better year for me, not just as a placemaker (which apparently is one of many cliché terms now in our sector), but as a writer, an advocate, a seamstress, a daughter, a sister, a niece and a friend.

So that news? I am the first winner of YES! Weekly‘s Essay Contest with my entry, The Harvest of Our Future. YES! Weekly is one of our two local alt weekly newspapers,  and my favorite of the bunch. Jordan, Eric and several others of the staff have long been colleagues and friends in making this a better city, one page at a time and I thank them again for this honor.

Now, before we look at the pretty Rose Parade floats, some other news:

Greensboro, Links, New York City, Rail, Retail, Transportation

Placebook: The Make Your City Edition

Hope everyone has enjoyed the holiday season! My goal is to spend a  little more time on this page (and with you) for 2014 and figured it would be better for me to start this resolution in 2013. Part of that is bringing out a daily(or roughly daily), round-up of things I’ve been pinning, ‘framing, tweeting and Facebooking.

I also want to encourage folks to start a new hashtag trend, #makeyourcity. My return post discusses some of the things I’m doing to make Greensboro better, in lieu of always feeling like nothing ever works here. Since I posted that on Saturday, I’ve seen several other articles encouraging people to leave other expensive areas, especially if one is in the creative class. Of course that turns the theory on it’s head. I’ll be tweeting out some articles under that hashtag as well and hope to get some conversation started about what it means to be creative class or even tech entrepreneur class, in a small city.

Also, if you see articles, photos, meme quotes or whatever that you want me to pay attention to, please hash those #tbuplacebook or simply #placebook. You can also tag @blackurbanist on Instagram and Twitter, Kristen Jeffers or @The Black Urbanist on Facebook.

Now some bonus links:

  • After years of battling, Miles Davis’s contributions to placemaking are remembered by naming the area of the street where he used to greet and socialize with his neighbors after him.
  • You’d never know it, but Norfolk Southern has a huge presence in Greensboro and it’s well up the alley of those who want us to be a logistics powerhouse.
  • Trader Joes is coming to Greensboro, once again, not without a major fight. New developers, smaller, but same site, more buffers this time though.
  • Belk Home Store expansion at Friendly Center is progressing quite fast. It’s also quite large. Then again, there’s nothing like the High Point showrooms or even Rooms-to-Go at Friendly Center,  so this may prove me wrong and the market research folks right.

Have a great day and I’ll see you around!

Food, Retail, Transportation, urbanism

Living in the Food Oasis of Greensboro

23 Comments

EDIT 9/14/ 2013: Due to your comments, I’ve gone ahead and rebuilt my chart, along with edited much of the commentary that I originally wrote about these stores. Thanks to everyone who tipped me off to errors and omissions, which helped me find more quirks and a more complete analysis of Greensboro’s food oasis.

I live in a food oasis. I may complain about lack of stores in walking distance, but I still live in abundance of food.

To ease my urbanist brain, I finally sat down and did the math on how to get to the grocery store from my current residence. There is no doubt that despite my prime downtown location, I can’t get there without vehicular assistance. Sure, I can be like my dad who used to walk 5-10 miles a day, but he did that out of necessity. There are bus routes, but the headways (time it takes for the bus to run its route and back) are horrible. It’s far better and more practical to drive to the store.

Now I’m not knocking out the walk completely. I’ve had my 20-minute walk-to-Harris-Teeter moments too. But those moments were tough. Imagine carrying two heavy bags of pasta cans for a mile. Imagine someone my size, 5’4”, 120 something in poundage, lugging two barely bagged plastic bags through parking lots and around roundabouts and over broken sidewalks.

Oh the horror of the privileged college girl, who’s rebeling from the dining hall and avoiding her new, but annoying and challenging friends. She chose to walk to the store. WALK! Carrying groceries. CARRYING GROCERIES!

I digress. Let’s get back to the present. Here are the raw numbers on time and distance to the grocery store, courtesy of Google Maps.

Store Distance(driving) Distance(Walking) Distance (via Bus with 30 minute headways) Distance via Bike
Deep Roots 1.2 miles (7 minutes) 1.2 miles (24 minutes) 21 minutes 1.2 miles(8 minutes)
Whole Foods 3.3 miles(11 minutes) 1 hour 7 minutes 28 minutes 4.1 miles(26 minutes)
Food Lion #1(Glenwood/Coliseum Blvd) 2.9 miles(10 minutes) 2.8 miles (55 minutes) 21 minutes 2.9 milesb(8 minutes)
Food Lion(Meadowview) #2 2.3 miles(7 minutes) 2.2 miles (44 minutes) 21 minutes 2.3 miles (8 minutes)
Food Lion #3(E. Market) 2.2 miles (6 minutes) 2.2 miles (44 minutes) 16 minutes 2.2 miles (12 minutes)
Food Lion #4(Golden Gate) 3.7 miles(11 minutes) 2.9 miles (57 minutes) 23 minutes 2.9 miles (17 minutes)
Food Lion #5(Alamance Church) 2.2 miles (7 minutes) 2.2 miles (43 mintues) 25 minutes 2.2 miles (12 minutes)
Aldi 4.91 miles (10 minutes) 4.1 miles (1 hour 22 minutes) 37 minutes 4.2 miles (25 minutes)
Harris Teeter West Friendly 3.6 Miles(12 minutes) 3.5 miles (1 hour 11 minutes) 32 minutes 4.3 miles (27 minutes)
Harris Teeter Lawndale 3.6 miles(12 minutes) 3.6 miles (1 hour 12 minutes) 35 minutes 4.9 miles (28 minutes)
Target Lawndale 3.6 MIles (12 minutes) 3.6 miles (1 hour 12 minutes) 35 minutes 4.9 miles (28 minutes)
Compare Foods 2.2 miles (7 minutes) 1.9 miles (39 minutes) 16 minutes 2.2 miles (12 minutes)
Bestway 2.9 miles (9 minutes) 2.5 miles (51 minutes) 26 minutes 2.6 miles (17 minutes)
Super G Mart 5.6 miles (15 minutes) 5.2 miles (1 hour 46 minutes) 36 minutes 5.6 miles (32 minutes)
Walmart 5.3 miles (15 minutes) 5.0 miles (1 hour 40 minutes) 54 minutes 5.1 miles (31 minutes)
Walmart Neighborhood Grocery 6.8 miles (12 minutes) 4.5 miles (1 hour 30 minutes) 30 minutes 4.5 miles (26 minutes)
Li MIng’s Global Market 6.8 miles (12 minutes) 4.5 miles (1 hour 31 minutes) 27 minutes 4.5 miles (27 minutes)
Greensboro Farmers Curb Market 1.5 miles (5 minutes) 1.5 miles(28 minutes) 16 minutes 1.5 miles (8 minutes)
Bessemer Curb Market 2.2 miles (7 minutes) 1.9 miles (38 minutes) 15 minutes 2.1 miles (11 minutes)

My original methodology? I chose stores that were in 15 driving minutes or less and were not Walmart (2 of the 4 Greensboro Walmarts hit right at 15 minutes of driving). Also, all these stores are on my radar either for proximity or my actual love of shopping there. Those stores would be the Target, the Whole Foods and the first two Food Lions on my list.

These stores are clean, have exactly what I want or have the advantage of having all that I want. I do also shop at the Harris Teeters, but my guilt for going there is even worse than my Walmart guilt. I’ll save that for another post or if you really want me to explain in the comments.

After doing the additional math and analysis, new ideas for my grocery procurement appeared. Most notably, the farmers market is only 5 minutes from my house via car, making it the closest option. Shame it’s only open on Wednesdays. If I could get used to riding a bike with a cargo bag or trailer and at a speed that didn’t mow me down (or with added bike lanes on major thoroughfares), then I have far more options for stores. There would be more of a time commitment, but biking is as much an adventure as it is a chance to experience the open air. Thirty minutes on a bike can go by pretty fast.  Walmart is not worth the trip, no matter the mode of transport. The bus headways are still terrible, but if push comes to shove, the options do exist. We still have moderately sized cities in North Carolina without bus service. I’m going to count that blessing of bus service here.

In addition, although not shown on the map, I found many stores in far-flung areas are actually very convenient on foot or bike to their surrounding residential areas. Bestway, a small community grocery, anchors its inner suburb area of Lindley Park. For my dad, the Glenwood Food Lion was only a 24 minute walk and 1.1 miles away from home. Likewise for other homes. We may get a bad rap for being car dependent, but if one is willing to brave sidewalks alongside or biking in the midst of busier roads, we don’t have as bad of a grade as I thought on full-service grocery or fresh food markets. If and when the Renaissance Co-op comes online, it will give that community a store in walking and biking distance, comparable with what is available in other parts of Greensboro. Also, I’ve heard from many others that the Food Lions I cited as dirty, along with Deep Roots, are not that bad. Even though I still can’t vouch for East Market in person, I can vouch for Alamance Church being a better store than it has been in the past.

This does not let the City of Greensboro off the hook for moving towards a more complete street plan for all of our major thoroughfares. If we had that, then many of these areas would become urbanist meccas overnight.

So what if I don’t want to leave downtown or even my apartment complex? Give me Peapod or give me Trader Joes. Peapod could set up a kiosk and storage space at my leasing office. Most everyone in my apartment complex is a choice buyer already. Paying premiums for rent and grocery would just be an additional expense.  I would be excited to not have to drive to the store for small items. I’d just have the five-minute walk to the leasing office. Lowes Foods, a local chain suburban in nature, already offers grocery delivery. They could be that service here if Peapod decides to never venture in this market.

And then there is Trader Joes. They should move to my end of downtown, maybe on the South Elm lot or in one of the still empty storefronts on Elm or Greene Street. Their demographic desires are fairly well-known to anyone who follows grocery news. They want the professor. Moderately wealthy but choosy.  Plenty of those types of people (choosy, if not academic) on my end of downtown. Similar to the Deep Roots in physical footprint, they could also draw people from the older, lower-income areas who may or may not be on public assistance. Plenty of these people already shop at the Aldi, which is another imprint of their company. Why not do the Trader Joes concept where there is at least a moderate amount of  their demographic and a smaller floorspace.

Maybe they are stuck on the fear of theft, which is real, but these grocery companies need a better strategy and profit margin. Far more people need to eat and are willing to pay than steal. Stop the excuses. Oh and while we’re at it, many of these stores have questionable records on employee compensation and benefits, unionization, quality of food as well as their lust for profits even though they essentially are providing a public service. Is there such a thing as a perfect grocery store? One that I can walk to? One that delivers if I can’t or won’t drive?

This concludes my food oasis grocery rant and analysis. Where do you stand? What’s your perfect grocery store? What can they do for us who can afford to go anywhere, to make sure we don’t just go anywhere?