Denver as a Slow City?

Cell phone, email, Internet, fast food, PDA, text messaging, Blackberry, drive-through, iPod, pager, TiVo, instant messenger, email, voice mail…

Tracy Halasinski

Whew, do you ever want to leave it all behind? Well, maybe it’s possible. Riding a bicycle forces a person to slow down in several ways. It can take longer to reach a destination (but not always), but the average speed on a bicycle is generally slower than when traveling in a car. Riding a bicycle can also take a little bit of advance preparation—packing your bag, checking the bike to make sure it’s ready to ride, adding air to the tires if necessary, etc., and this takes time. However, there are definitely rewards to riding a bicycle, such as feeling refreshed and invigorated when reaching a destination, enjoying the fresh air, the sights, the sounds, and smelling what other people are having for dinner in the evening (that last point can be a reward or a detriment, depending on your dietary preferences). Bicycling forces you to observe the world at a more human pace, rather than speeding by while enclosed in a steel cage.

Speaking of slowing down, the Slow Food movement began in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world. The concept of Slow Food began in Europe (where else?) and has taken root, so to speak, here in the United States. In fact, there are Slow Food groups here in Colorado, including Denver. If you think the idea of slow food is appealing, then how about a Slow City?

I had a thought that the idea of eating Slow Food in a Slow City would be a nice idea and a good place to be. What do you know, there is such a thing. According to an article on the website Planetizen, “The Slow City movement was started in 1999 in Italy, when the mayors of Greve-in-Chianti, Orvieto, Bra, and Positano met to define the attributes that might identify a Slow City. At their founding meeting in Orvieto, the four mayors committed themselves to a series of principles that included working toward calmer and less polluted physical environments, conserving local aesthetic traditions, and fostering local crafts, produce, and cuisine. They also pledged to use technology to create healthier environments, to make citizens aware of the value of more leisurely rhythms to life, and to share their experience in seeking administrative solutions for better living. The goal is to foster the development of places that enjoy a robust vitality based on good food, healthy environments, sustainable economies, and traditional rhythms of community life. Since its founding, the movement has grown and spread across the borders of Italy, and more than 65 cities have been certified so far.”

Further, “Slow Cities are dedicated to community economic development efforts that focus on the unique attributes of a place such as small businesses, locally owned restaurants, farmers markets, and socially responsible enterprises. Membership in the movement is often initiated and driven by the mayor, city council members, and the local business sector.” While the Slow Cities movement hasn’t yet made its way to the United States, I’m excited at the prospect of the idea taking hold here.

What better way to enjoy a Slow City than on a bicycle? So, step away from the computer, turn off the cell phone, take off that iPod, hop on your bike and pay a visit to a local, independent business of your choice. Sample a little of the uniqueness that Denver has to offer. Make Denver a Slow City, just for you, just for the day or just for an hour or two.

by Tracy Halasinski, BikeDenver

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