We started a new series last week called “Mobility Lab Question of the Week,” and received an encouraging amount of feedback and an interesting mix of ideas across our many social-media channels.
Here are some of our favorite replies, but first let’s review the question in this seven-second video of Mobility Lab Director Tom Fairchild:
- I think that tourism marketing departments usually take the wrong approach – trying to create and then fulfill expectations to control the way “their” city is perceived or interpreted, when what really excites people, what they go home and talk about, are unexpected encounters – Kaspar at LinkedIn URBANIST group
- I will be visiting Buenos Aires later this week and will try their free “Public Transportation System by Bicycle.” People register online or at the station, get a PIN number, and use the bikes for up to an hour. It’s free. Tourists can join with a passport!! ecobici.buenosaires.gob.ar – Lucia at MobilityLab.org
- Bikeable cities, and cities with rail-trails nearby, should tune in to the potential of bike tourism – Joe at MobilityLab.org
- Definitely like to #bike across DC 8.4 each way to work. When in other cities, bike and #walk always best ways to see lots, me on Twittter
- Walking definitely is my first choice. And just wandering. Local transit to get a bit further afield. Also like to hop on and hop off buses for getting my bearings – Kimberly on Twitter
- Walk and bus – a metro is good to get to places quickly but you don’t see much. Paris does have some nice stations – Andrea at Mobility Lab’s Facebook page
- 1. Buy a good tourist guide 2. print various maps from the net to mark places 3. analyse the city through birds eye with Google Maps 4. search the net for information about alternative heritage (urban and buildings) and new urban developments/neighborhoods 5. ask fellow colleagues about the town, especially those who are investigators – Rute at LinkedIn URBANIST group
- I think the difference between people’s culture is a great way for understanding the urban realm of a city – Maha at LinkedIn URBANIST group
- My favorite way by far to tour a new city is on foot. Start by renting a room or a flat in the center of town, pack good walking shoes, rain gear, a light backpack, and excellent maps, and then wander around, neighborhood by neighborhood, and eat and drink with the locals if possible! Public transit is great for getting access to more distant neighborhoods; bikes are also good for covering ground a little more quickly. But my feet are free, and available 24 hours no matter where I am – Melissa at LinkedIn URBANIST group
- My biggest objection is being cooped up in a car. I feel like in order to really experience a place, I need to touch it, smell it hear it and feel it. Cars numb my senses and everywhere feels the same – and that’s before the headache of parking! – Tom at LinkedIn URBANIST group
- I prefer jogging, particularly in the early morning before the city “wakes up.” This way I can navigate the city streets more easily and scope out the places I want to visit later in the day – Robert at LinkedIn URBANIST group
- One of my favorite ways of “exploring” the city is by bus – public transportation, not tour bus. You also get to see the different types of people who live in the city, not just tourists as you would on a tour bus. Walking is not far behind as a favorite way to explore a city – even in cities that aren’t seen as “walkable” per se. I like to look for inexpensive walking tours given by locals who either volunteer for the love of it or are paid a nominal fee, such as the SF walking tours which used to be run by Friends of the Library. I especially like to tour neighborhoods that are outside of the usual tourist spots. http://www.sfcityguides.org – Sherrie at LinkedIn URBANIST group
- I find the busiest place in terms of walking and public activity, and then get lost (in the good sense of the word). If I try to cover too large an area, I don’t enjoy the experience as much, because I don’t let the place “sink in.” Actually, I need to take this approach more often in my hometown too, and wander around more instead of going to my “usual” places. Great question! – Scott at LinkedIn URBANIST group
Please continue to add your thoughts in the Comments section below. The journey should always be part of the fun!
Photo by M.V. Jantzen