Like Al Gore, Lawrence D. Frank has a slide show, and he brought it to Bloomington last week. His message is not quite the same as the former vice president's warnings about global warming, but it's related: Let's build towns and cities people can walk in.

A faculty member at the University of British Columbia, Frank has led a series of high-profile studies that predictably link driving to obesity and dirty air.

His studies also demonstrate the kinds of communities that encourage people to choose walking over driving. Walkable neighborhoods tend to have:

More people,

Streets that connect with other streets (no cul de sacs), and

destinations for walkers — stores, schools, parks, restaurants.