Complete Streets Week, April 2010

 Ithaca-area residents and college students teamed up to participate in the Complete Streets Week initiative April 19 - 23.  The goal of the initiative was to identify problem sidewalks and intersections for Tompkins County pedestrians of all ages and abilities, and to share this information with city, town and county planning,  public works, and other appropriate offices.  This project was sponsored by AARP, which created “walkability survey” toolkits for download and helped with volunteer recruitment through the  AARP  Create the Good Web site. 

The Tompkins County Office for the Aging (COFA) and the Ithaca College Gerontology Institute collaborated to recruit volunteers and organize teams.  The Gerontology Institute recruited Aging Studies majors and minors to participate in the initiative and coordinated teams and survey times during the week- long initiative.

Members of the COFA advisory committee identified several intersections and walkways that were problematic for older or disabled pedestrians, and several of these members also participated in the survey process.   Additionally, planning department staff of the City of Ithaca, Town of Ithaca, and Tompkins County provided input on areas of future development for senior housing and assisted living, where walkability may be an issue.  And finally, members of the Fall Creek Neighborhood Association listserve identified areas of their neighborhood to be surveyed.

Volunteers were recruited through the COFA Advisory Committee, gerontology student organizations, the Aging Studies student email list, the Fall Creek Neighborhood Association listserve, and AARP’s Create the Good Web site.   In all, 18 volunteers  worked in teams to survey seven areas in Tompkins County.   Two volunteers participated in more than one group.  Team members ranged in age from 19 years to early 70s.  Following are names of the Complete Streets volunteers:

Reina Argueza, IC Student
Sigrid Connors, COFA Advisory Committee Member
Corey Corsaro, Ithaca College Student

Natalie Eckroth, IC Student

Grace Goodhew, Ithaca College Student
Esther Greenhouse, Doctoral Student, Cornell University Design and Environmental Analysis
Carol John, COFA Advisory Committee Member

Rus Keeler, Fall Creek Resident

Lai-Siu Leung, COFA Staff Member

Rae Lobreva, COFA Staff Member

Gene Lovelace, COFA Advisory Committee Member

Pamela Mayberry, Ithaca College Gerontology Institute Staff Member

Regina McGriff, COFA Staff Member

Lee Miller, Fall Creek Neighborhood Resident

Erin Mulcahey,  IC Student
Kathleen Nguyen, Ithaca College Student
Susie Pederson, Fall Creek Neighborhood Resident
Edie Spaulding, COFA Advisory Committee Member

 Volunteers received copies of the AARP Toolkit and Sidewalks and Streets Survey, clipboards and, (for those working in high-traffic areas), orange safety vests.  Volunteers were encouraged to take photos of their survey area, and many did so using cell phones or other digital cameras.  In most teams, each member of the team completed a survey.  An Ithaca College student employee who had participated on a Complete Streets team compiled the surveys into one for each area or intersection.

The entire Complete Streets Report, which includes results of the Streets and Sidewalks Surveys, is available in PDF format in the sidebar to the right.