Connected Communities
Linking the city together safely
"A truly great city is one where neighborhoods are connected by sidewalks and trails, not just highways. You shouldn't have to get in a car to cross the street to a park. We will build a walkable city where community happens naturally."
The Fragmented City
For too long, Lynchburg's infrastructure has been built exclusively for the automobile. As a result, we have a highly fragmented city. Entire residential neighborhoods are physically cut off from nearby schools, local soccer fields, and neighborhood coffee shops simply because there is no safe sidewalk or crosswalk connecting them.
This car-centric design is holding us back. When parents feel it is too dangerous to let their kids walk a quarter-mile to a local park or school due to high-speed traffic and missing sidewalks, we lose the spontaneous, connected community feel that makes a city great. Furthermore, this lack of pedestrian infrastructure actively harms our local businesses. A neighborhood commercial hub cannot survive on drive-through traffic alone; it requires the consistent, daily foot traffic of nearby residents who can safely walk to their front doors.
Highly Fragmented City
Our neighborhood infrastructure isolates homes from classrooms, retail spots, and recreational parks, forcing residents to get in a car for even the shortest journeys.
Dave's Walkable Plan
The "15-Minute City" Vision
By pairing our zoning reforms (allowing small commercial nodes in residential areas) with aggressive walkability infrastructure, Dave will work to build a city where the majority of your daily needs, such as groceries, coffee, parks, and schools, are within a safe, 15-minute walk or bike ride from your front door.
Why 15 Min is Everything
The Walkability Premium
Real estate studies consistently prove a tangible walkability premium. Homes in highly walkable neighborhoods (typically those with Walk Score ratings of 70+) command an average price premium of 10% to 23.5% over identical properties in car-dependent subdivisions.