I recently took a family vacation to Disneyland in southern California. As a parent and a walking advocate, I was struck by the park's opening attraction: Main Street. This part of the park is a fabricated American downtown that makes you feel like you're on the set of an old Jimmy Stewart movie. My family and I window shopped, took selfies with Minnie Mouse and let our kids (ages 2 and 4) wander freely in the street. We knew in this "town" there are never any cars coming.
Disney Main Street was inspired by classic American Main streets and influenced particularly by Walt Disney's hometown of Marceline, Mo. Its quaint vibe recalls the best era of small-town America, before big-box retail, fast food chains and eight-lane highways swallowed our living spaces. Just like a real downtown, the Disney Main Street features retail, dining and entertainment. Even though it's a sort of fictional place, the money it generates is very real. People come from all over the globe to enjoy this charm and safety.
The only structural difference between the Disney Street and our Main streets here in Northwest Arkansans is cars and space for cars. In the fantasy, there are no parking spaces, no wide intersections, no honking, no exhaust, no stop lights, no crosswalks. Instead, people on foot get to enjoy freedom of movement. With cars out of the equation, planners can make even urban settings feel like a theme park.
Fortunately, we in Northwest Arkansas don't have to fly to California and pay admission to get a taste of what they are selling at Disneyland. Our towns offer a multitude of crafts fairs, farmers markets and outdoor events that allow folks to safely meander down the street, just like in the good ol' days.
More and more, people are starting to realize a bright future will look more like an era when we didn't put the car at the center of our lives. Starting in the spring, for instance, the Fayetteville Farmers' Market will expand to have the square completely free of car traffic. Bike NWA's Open Streets initiative is organizing a series of free street events for later in 2020 that will allow you and your friends to play games and lounge in the middle of the road. Razorbacks football games now feature a free street festival before the games as an alternative to car-oriented tailgating.
We may not be ready yet to begin permanently closing off certain downtown streets to cars as many large cities have. But when we close downtown streets to cars and open them to pedestrians, we do get a chance to catch a glimpse of a different pace and style of living. The next time you get a chance to walk around these car-free zones, go experience your streets by foot and feel the magic.
Sports on 01/07/2020