Urban Pioneer: Make St. Pete More Walkable

Looking for ways to improve life in St. Petersburg? Get some insight from a pioneer in the movement to create better urban environments through something simple—more walking.

Jeff Speck, author and urban planner, will speak at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13, at the Palladium Theater downtown at 253 5th Ave. N. He has been director of design at the National Endowment for the Arts and led the master planning effort for Tampa’s transformative Water Street project.

“The principal message of my talk is, first, why people in St. Pete should care about becoming an even more walkable city,” said Speck, who began his architectural career in Florida and is working on a project in Pensacola. “Second, what are the steps you can take to get there?”

AARP’s commitment to age-friendly and livable communities makes the topic of walkability a natural for its sponsorship of Speck’s talk, said Michelle Cyr, community outreach director for AARP in Tampa Bay.

Tickets for this event are $20, or $15 for members of Preserve the 'Burg, which is hosting the talk. Speck’s latest book, Walkable City Rules: 101 Steps to Making Better Places, will be available for purchase and signing afterward.

To register, go to preservetheburg.org/event-3522754. —George Edmonson