Introduction

My husband and I recently moved back to Austin, Texas, after living in Cambridge, Massachusetts for a few years.

Austin has a reputation as a green, healthy city. The local green building program predates LEED (the accepted green building standard today in many parts of the world). And, demographically, Austin is one of the youngest and most physically fit cities in the U.S.

Located in Texas, it should be no surprise that it suffers from long, hot summers. But, given its environmental reputation, you would think that the hot weather would be the only major setback to continuing the lifestyle we cultivated in Cambridge, a city that supports numerous modes of transportation: subway, bus, walking, cycling, skateboarding, you name it.

While Austin offers a number of transportation options, the overwhelming majority of Austinites move around the city exclusively in their car, even if their destination is a few blocks away in the heart of the city. I am so often the only pedestrian on the street that my friends and family have started to think of me as an oddity. I am often introduced as: “my friend/sister/cousin/colleague who likes to walk.”

This blog records my efforts to retain the flexibility, freedom of movement, and active lifestyle I became accustomed to in Cambridge. I hope to share why I find that moving through the city this way improves my quality of life even when (and sometimes because) it results in a longer journey. The blog also offers practical advice about how to select the most appropriate form of transportation and the best route of travel by weighing variables such as: the purpose of the trip, the weather, timing, health benefits, safety, cost, and avoiding CO2 emissions.

I hope you will join me on the journey.