When I think of roads meant for pedestrians, my mind typically pictures the main road of a quaint little town away from the city. One with little shops and plenty of trees lining the road, much like the main street in the town I grew up in. This is why Delaware Avenue in Kenmore jumped out at me as an suggestion. Many of my extended family members live in Kenmore, some of them a few blocks from where I took my walk. Compared to my hometown of Akron, Kenmore is a bustling city... Who takes leisurely walks in cities? Certainly not the people I know in Kenmore! I really didn't think I would find much on Delaware Ave., but I was happily mistaken!
What I Noticed- decorated sidewalks
- parking meters
- many benches and garbage bins
- decorative fences
- decorative lamps with a primary purpose of lighting the sidewalks
- bushes (pretty sad looking since it's winter)
- bus stops with route numbers
- guards around tree roots
- numbers on light poles
- very small park area with a gazebo, benches, garbage bins, plants, and no dog waste sign
- memorials for WWII, Vietnam, and Korean War
- picnic bench
- speaker on lamp posts and on municipal building
- thin power lines connecting trees around municipal building
- camera at the stop light
- water spout on side of building
- sitting area between buildings
To me, the first thing that clearly stated that people were meant to be walking this route and not driving by were the decorated sidewalks and the parking meters lining the road. On this 3 block stretch of Delaware the people planning out the town wanted the citizens to stop their cars and get out to stretch their legs.
The many benches and garbage bins made of wrought iron also sent a clear signal to people to slow down and enjoy their time on the street. A fence surrounding a parking lot of a bank also sent the same statement. Many businesses can save resources on such items as a fence, and cheaply construct something with little aesthetic value. On this section of Delaware this was not the case. The stone fence was very pleasing to the eye and did not show extensive wear from the seasons. Because of this I would guess that it wasn't too old. Taking that into consideration and the style of it, I would say it was 30-40 years old.
Farther down the street was a little park area with a gazebo and benches and garbage bins surrounding it. This seemed to me to be a newer addition to the area. This made me wonder why they would decide to put it in now? Right behind this area is a multicultural building with a playground i
n the front. This could serve as an area for families to go during their time at the center, but I
was swayed from that thought by the fence separating the park area and the playground. The answer could however be across Knowlton Avenue, in front of the municipal building. Here there was a memorial for veterans of WWII. Behind this there was also another memorial honoring all those who died, were prisoners of war, or are still missing from the Vietnam and Korean War. With these memorials already having been present for quite some time, it would make sense that they would put in more seating areas across the street. Who "they" are though, is another question. Is there a town official whose job it is to beautify the town? Or do the citizens decide this? Perhaps a combination of the two decide these things at town board meetings?
The area surrounding the municipal building sparked other questions as well. When walking towards it, I looked up at a street lamp post (not a decorative one) and saw something rather peculiar
- two tan speakers. These odd speakers were also on the municipal building. I can not recall a single time in my life that I have heard an announcement outside in a setting other than grade school. The only thing that I can think that these may be are old air raid alarms from the cold war
era. These are no longer used today, and I find it interesting that they are still there. If they were to be used today, would anyone know what to do?
When looking up, I made another interesting find. On the street light pole there was a camera pointed
towards the traffic. All the other things I had come across during my trip I could reference back to another date in time, but this camera I could not. It is definitely a product of the modern world we live in. And like most technologies, I assume something more efficient will come along and the camera used to catch people running the stop light will become obsolete.
The many benches and garbage bins made of wrought iron also sent a clear signal to people to slow down and enjoy their time on the street. A fence surrounding a parking lot of a bank also sent the same statement. Many businesses can save resources on such items as a fence, and cheaply construct something with little aesthetic value. On this section of Delaware this was not the case. The stone fence was very pleasing to the eye and did not show extensive wear from the seasons. Because of this I would guess that it wasn't too old. Taking that into consideration and the style of it, I would say it was 30-40 years old.
n the front. This could serve as an area for families to go during their time at the center, but I 
was swayed from that thought by the fence separating the park area and the playground. The answer could however be across Knowlton Avenue, in front of the municipal building. Here there was a memorial for veterans of WWII. Behind this there was also another memorial honoring all those who died, were prisoners of war, or are still missing from the Vietnam and Korean War. With these memorials already having been present for quite some time, it would make sense that they would put in more seating areas across the street. Who "they" are though, is another question. Is there a town official whose job it is to beautify the town? Or do the citizens decide this? Perhaps a combination of the two decide these things at town board meetings?
- two tan speakers. These odd speakers were also on the municipal building. I can not recall a single time in my life that I have heard an announcement outside in a setting other than grade school. The only thing that I can think that these may be are old air raid alarms from the cold war 
era. These are no longer used today, and I find it interesting that they are still there. If they were to be used today, would anyone know what to do?
towards the traffic. All the other things I had come across during my trip I could reference back to another date in time, but this camera I could not. It is definitely a product of the modern world we live in. And like most technologies, I assume something more efficient will come along and the camera used to catch people running the stop light will become obsolete.