Thanks to Mary M.
 Moss(feed)back |
| A new app? “Apologies for the email out of the blue, Mr. Berger. I am a physician/epidemiologist, formerly on faculty at UW, and also a ceramic artist. I recently started up a project with some neighbors that your readers and listeners might find interesting. The idea is a very simple one, to link points of interest in our communities with people who take walks or ride bicycles. It grew out of our own experiences taking walks in the neighborhood, chancing upon art displayed in front yards or particularly amazing trees, or finding other noteworthy items. It struck me that our communities are full of natural and man-made attractions that make them pleasant to live in. They are a kind of collective social capital. Particularly during the epidemic, many people took up walking as a form of exercise and, as a physician and public health advocate, I see a relationship between individual and community health, quality of life and the built and natural environments we live in. We got a small grant from Seattle Arts and Culture and put up a website, Whimsywalks.org. A few dozen people attended our kickoff event on June 18, during which we took a stroll around the neighborhood, stopping at four sites and schmoozing with the artists. The plan is to add more sites of interest and extend the area covered, which now is limited to the Ravenna, U-District, Roosevelt, Maple Leaf and Green Lake neighborhoods. I am working with a woman who has an interest in Seattle’s trees. We plan to add noteworthy trees to our list. The bigger vision is of an app that, given the user’s input, will draw a map, creating a custom walk or bicycle (or wheelchair) ride, to points of interest to the user, and I’m working with folks at UW’s Computer Science Department on that aspect. Our immediate need is a way to more efficiently identify sites of interest, and that’s where you could be of assistance. If we could get the message out to the community, I think we could really jump start this work. Your listeners and readers could make a big difference. Sincerely, Gregory Engel MD MPH Aka the Ravenna Trollbooth Authority” Thanks, Gregory. If any Den readers want to send him ideas, he can be reached at ga_engel@yahoo.com or on his cell at 206-963-6915. |