Week Without Driving Diary (III)

A very walkable block!For most of its one mile length, Washington Avenue SE is the very model of a walkable residential street. It's a little out of my way, but on such a pleasant day as this, it's a nice way to walk from my home to my church or my office. It has houses close to the street, fronted by windows and doors not blank walls, and such trees that survived the 2020 derecho provide a comforting canopy. It's not long on destinations for a purposeful walk, but along my way there's an elementary school and another church. For those challenged by circumstance or (as in my case) curiosity to participate in Week Without Driving, streets like these make such a project thinkable. On the other hand, I didn't meet anyone else walking down this street this mid-morning.America Walks rates Cedar Rapids's walkability higher than the national average, which suggests walking is available for people who can't or prefer not to drive ("How Many Americans Live in Walkable Neighborhoods?"…