Thats interesting. I wonder if their downtown is more "walkable" or stayed more walkable/pedestrian lively and didn't empty out as much as ours did? Also, perhaps it could just be an attitude that a few adopted and kept and then grew over time. I think we can create that here if a few people decide to. Once that idea gets started and people see it and others follow, it would take on a life of its own.
Doesn't feel any more 'walkable' - similar walking. The downtown has been rejuvenated in recent decades, as has ours. They are quite a bit bigger metro area (double-ish), so have more resources, but that is a proportional thing. They started back from the urban renewal debacle sooner than we. The city/state has not been afraid or reluctant to fund things that are good for the entire population rather than just the select few. Until recent Scott Walker years, where they have slid quite a bit relative to their neighbors (Minnesota specifically).
Definitely an attitude that has evolved. Not sure whether intentional or incidental. I have one of those 'gut feeling' things about how they achieve at least some of this. Parking. Repetitive moment; They have a lot of parking scattered around town. It is relatively expensive, and a lot of it is concentrated towards the south around the interstate. There is a surprising amount of parking under I-794, east of the river - thousands of spaces.
When you park for the day there is enough parking pressure that there is a lot of reluctance to try to go anywhere by car during the day - no in and out allowed. The mindset has been programmed in by the incentives provided that one just walks wherever you want to go - just like you speculate about - becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. It is, "Once I find a spot, I'm not moving and taking a chance on losing it..." And it is usually easier/closer/faster just to walk.
And that is also kind of odd, 'cause when we have had to leave for a while, it was never too hard to find a place again, sometimes within feet of where we were. Just cost the same price again.... Weekly and monthly parkers don't have the cost issues...just the hassle of finding a place nearby. Its' still just easier to walk...
Anecdote moment; While walking around one day, found an obviously old human worked stone in the sidewalk with a marker/plaque. During some renovation 20 years ago or so, this was dug up from about 6 feet deep. It was one of the original sidewalk stones from about 1800 or so... can't remember exact date. Mindset to use that again as part of the new sidewalk is different. We would probably be more likely to haul it to a landfill. They also mark sidewalks with a date plaque on when it was renovated/rebuilt. Some back to the 70's IIRC.
