Dupont Circle and Summer Streets

Aerial view of Dupont Circle
Originally uploaded by rllayman

In the previous entry on ideas for Summer Streets--a program where streets are temporarily closed to vehicular traffic in favor of feet-based (walking and bicycling) activities (based on programs elsewhere such as in NYC and Bogota)--I said that DC should focus on the easy wins, rather than try to do this in places where the underlying conditions aren't supportive.

Commenter smax took the entry to task, writing:

I'm not sure if I agree with your "walk before you can run" statement. If Dupont circle did this for six hours on a sunday (say, the circle and connecticuit avenue to R street or something), I would venture to guess that turnout would be fantastic.

While I think that s/he and I were arguing different sides of the same point, I think smax's point needs to be called out and better acknowledged. Such an event in Dupont Circle would be wildly successful.

And in DC (and most places) programs like this need to start with the "easy victory" of wild success, rather than the hardest attempts.

In my opinion, typical neighborhood residents are pretty resistant to most types of change or experimentation.

They need to see it in action in order to be able to comprehend and consider it. Ken F. attributes this to the fact that from a Jungian personality types perspective a la the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, most people are "sensing" types and according to the webpage The Myers-Briggs Sensing Preference:

tend to be concerned with what is actual, present, current, and real. ...
Sensing types are often good at seeing the practical applications of ideas and things, and may learn best when they can first see the pragmatic side of what is being taught. For sensing types, experience speaks louder than words or theory.

Starting a pro-walking-fitness-bicycling program with wild success is the best way to get normally resistant DC residents/activists to clamor for the offering of such a program in their own neighborhoods.

-- New York Summer Streets program webpage

1924 image of Dupont Circle, before the park was diminished in size in favor of wider streets.