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By CHRISTOPHER B. LEINBERGER

Published: May 25, 2012

WALKING isn’t just good for you. It has become an indicator of your socioeconomic status.

Until the 1990s, exclusive suburban homes that were accessible only by car cost more, per square foot, than other kinds of American housing. Now, however, these suburbs have become overbuilt, and housing values have fallen. Today, the most valuable real estate lies in walkable urban locations. Many of these now pricey places were slums just 30 years ago. 

Mariela Alfonzo and I just released a Brookings Institution study that measures values of commercial and residential real estate in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, which includes the surrounding suburbs in Virginia and Maryland. Our research shows that real estate values increase as neighborhoods became more walkable, where everyday needs, including working, can be met by walking, transit or biking. There is a five-step “ladder” of walkability, from least to most walkable. On average, each step up the walkability ladder adds $9 per square foot to annual office rents, $7 per square foot to retail rents, more than $300 per month to apartment rents and nearly $82 per square foot to home values. 

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By LIZ GOTTHELF, Staff Writer

SACO — A ceremony was held Wednesday to celebrate the latest segment of the Eastern Trail – along with a surprise dedication ceremony to honor John Andrews, the man who helped make it all happen.

The “real focal point” of the new trail section is the pedestrian bridge that runs over Route 1 in Saco, said Bob Hamblen, Eastern Trail Alliance president and Saco’s city planner. Hamblen said he and other officials wanted to acknowledge the work and efforts of Andrews over the past 15 years by dedicating the bridge to him.

“Simply put, we wouldn’t be here today, and there wouldn’t be an Eastern Trail if it weren’t for John Andrews,” said Hamblen.

The Eastern Trail, when completed, will provide 65 miles of pedestrian and bicycle trails from Kittery to South Portland along the former Eastern Railroad Corridor. About 20 miles are completed, the newest being a 4.3-mile stretch from Milliken Mills Road in Old Orchard Beach to Clark Street in Saco, on the edge of the Thornton Academy campus.

The trail is part of the East Coast Greenway, which when completed will provide trails that connect Calais, Maine to Key West, Fla.

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Biking excursion will begin in Kennebunk, end in South Portland

By Adam Chabot, Staff Writer, Scarborough Leader

The Eastern Trail Alliance will host an event called Spring on the Trail May 18 as part of an initiative to showcase over 10 miles of new off-road sections of trail and two bridges completed over the past 18 months.

Spring on the Trail is a 31-mile bicycle trek from Kennebunk Elementary School to Bug Light Park in South Portland. At about 2 p.m. riders will stop at Thornton Academy for lunch before continuing their ride back to South Portland. Advance registration is required in order to participate.

“This is the first time we’ve done a oneway (event) like this, that showcases the off-road sections,” said Carole Brush, executive director of the Eastern Trail Alliance.

Approximately 80 bicyclists have signed up for the all-day event.

Riders and their bikes will be loaded onto buses and trucks at 10:30 a.m. on Friday and will be transported to the elementary school in Kennebunk, where the event will begin at noon right after a group photo of all participants at the turnpike bridge.

“The initial background as to why we’re doing it, is that it’s being done in conjunction with the East Coast Greenway Alliance and the Eastern Trail is part of the southern Maine portion of the East Coast Greenway,” said Scott Marcoux, communication coordinator for the Eastern Trail Alliance.

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Updated: 1:25 pm, Wed May 9, 2012.

Kate Irish Collins

SACO – A 2K walk in Saco on May 16 is designed to raise awareness, support and funds for homeless veterans.

Sponsored by the local Veterans Administration, or VA, clinic, the walk will take place on the portion of the Eastern Trail that runs through downtown Saco.

Anyone can take part in the VA2K Walk + Roll, which begins at 11:30 a.m. at the Hannaford parking lot on Route 1. In fact, the VA facilities in Maine are specifically encouraging veteran service organizations, community members, active duty members and veterans of all ages to participate.

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