One of the things I realized when I led the ‘Walkable Sebastopol‘ walk a few months ago was the importance porches play in walkability. There is a very clear distinction in Sebastopol between what I consider more walkable neighborhoods closer into downtown, and the newer 1950 era and later neighborhoods which are primarily in the western part of Sebastopol. One of the big differences I noticed is that porches are common in the older neighborhoods and scarce to non-existent in newer neighborhoods. I’m not sure when or why we got away from building porches on houses, but we have, and it is unfortunate.

 

Porches create more walkable places for several reasons. They provide a space between the public sidewalk and the private house, linking the two realms. This transitional space helps foster community by allowing a place for residents to interact with passers-by. When we moved to Sebastopol, we met many of our neighbors by spending time on our front porch. With the front porch 10′ or so from the sidewalk, it was easy to have a conversation.

Porches also allow people to see and be seen. We are social creatures, we like to see other people, and like to be seen by other people. When we’re on a porch, we can see who’s passing by, and can be seen by those passers-by. And most people are willing to at least say hello. I find it generally nice to see other people when I’m walking. When porches are large enough, and close enough to the sidewalk they really do encourage interaction.

There is a house around the corner that appears to be occupied by several musicians as they are often on the porch playing music in the evenings. Many people walking by stop to have a listen and often an interaction with the musicians. ‘Porchfest’ is a musical event that started in Ithaca, NY. Musicians were paired with porches around the community and people hung out in front yards and sidewalks to listen and watch. People often walk, bike, or scoot from porch to porch. Porchfests now happen around the country. I just heard from a neighbor last week, while I was on my porch, that he was helping to organize a Porchfest in Sebastopol for this fall.

Porches are also spaces that put ‘eyes on the street’ which provides a sense of security to those walking by. We behave better when we know someone may be watching.

And porches just make homes seem ‘friendlier’. Ross Chapin talks a lot about the importance of porches in his book ‘Pocket Neighborhoods.’ And in his designs of pocket neighborhoods he always includes front porches. He includes several requirements of a good porch. Get the Right Location; it must be part of the primary entrance and connected to the front yard, in full view of a public walkway. Make it large enough to be a living space; It should feel like a room. Locate the passage to the front door to the side in order to not divide the space, unless the porch is large enough to be two spaces. Keept the porch open. Define the edge.

The western neighborhoods here have a serious lack of porches.

Garage also make these houses less ‘friendly’ in my opinion. Neither of these houses engage with the public realm. And the less walkable neighborhoods are filled with these kinds of homes.

Architecture makes an impact on walkability. And we should encourage, if not require, homes in our neighborhoods to have better integration with the public space. This provide a better walking environment and hopefully encourage people to leave the car at home.