"In the battle of downtowns, the original is scoring a comeback victory over the upstart in Texas' biggest city," the Dallas Morning News reports from Houston. "In the 1970s and early '80s, it appeared that downtown was fading and that the West Loop area around the high-end shopping center the Galleria might become the new city center."
Today, though, the Galleria business district known as Uptown "has seen its office market stall," the article says; new construction seems to be primarily residential, and the area is turning into a mix of luxury residential and high-end retail.
"Meanwhile, the original downtown has undergone a multibillion-dollar revival in the last 10 years, adding stadiums, rail transit, hotels, clubs and residences, and an after-hours life. It's quite a change for a place that once emptied at 5 p.m.
"And it's pedestrian friendly; Uptown still depends on cars."
Downtown Framingham isn't likely to get either a multibillion-dollar renovation or a sports stadium. However, as the town looks to revitalize the South Side traditional business district, just as the Natick Mall is adding residences to what's likely to be upper-end retail, the Houston model is one worth noting. Downtown CAN complement Rte. 9 by becoming a pedestrian-friendly center with appealing, multi-ethnic offerings for residents and visitors alike.
August 6, 2004
What’s Life Like In A “New Urbanist” Community?
The Seattle Times last Sunday took a detailed look at several such developments, where "people, not cars, are king. Cul-de-sacs are conspicuously absent, frowned upon because they isolate residents. Dry cleaners and sandwich shops face the sidewalk, not the parking lot. Homes are set back on small lots, creating buffers between front doors and the road. . . .
"Behind [the Carlson's] house is their all-important alley, the bull's-eye of community connection the couple was searching for: Back yards bordered with low, picket fences overlook a well-lit central lane where kids play, moms pull weeds and dads wash cars. Maria Carlson calls the alley 'party central.' "
While yards are small, neighborhood parks abound. And, the developments are typically surrounded by nature.
But, the article notes, there are still problems ... and questions.
"Behind [the Carlson's] house is their all-important alley, the bull's-eye of community connection the couple was searching for: Back yards bordered with low, picket fences overlook a well-lit central lane where kids play, moms pull weeds and dads wash cars. Maria Carlson calls the alley 'party central.' "
While yards are small, neighborhood parks abound. And, the developments are typically surrounded by nature.
But, the article notes, there are still problems ... and questions.
August 3, 2004
A Golden Opportunity For Framingham
"If Lowe's application to build a store nearby is approved, there's another chance to begin remaking Rte. 30 into a park-once, walk-to-many destination," says this opinion article in the MetroWest Daily News by ... um, me :-)
The piece expands on several posts here, urging the Framingham Planning Board to make decisions that give pedestrian needs as much weight as automotive needs; and to demand that developments offer an enjoyable sense of place as well as deal with traffic and parking issues.
Had we started ten years ago, we could have had a walker-friendly Shopper's World, Target, Wal-Mart and Kohl's; the whole region could have been a pedestrian boulevard with parking in the rear, a commercial center with a sense of place instead of a sprawling collection of strip malls. But the answer here isn't to throw up our hands and say too late; it's to START NOW so that in ten years, people will enjoy BEING in the "Golden Triangle," not only shopping there.
The piece expands on several posts here, urging the Framingham Planning Board to make decisions that give pedestrian needs as much weight as automotive needs; and to demand that developments offer an enjoyable sense of place as well as deal with traffic and parking issues.
Had we started ten years ago, we could have had a walker-friendly Shopper's World, Target, Wal-Mart and Kohl's; the whole region could have been a pedestrian boulevard with parking in the rear, a commercial center with a sense of place instead of a sprawling collection of strip malls. But the answer here isn't to throw up our hands and say too late; it's to START NOW so that in ten years, people will enjoy BEING in the "Golden Triangle," not only shopping there.
August 2, 2004
Livable Suburbs
Although the two can be paired as often as peanut butter and jelly, "suburbs" and "sprawl" don't always have to go together. It's more than a year old now, but I still found Utne magazine's list of the 10 Most Englightened Suburbs fairly interesting.
The Tempe, Arizona listing caught my eye:
As Framingham looks to revitalize downtown, we ought to think about how to incorporate Framingham State College into the pedestrian life and streetscape of Framingham Centre, along with making an attractive transition between the center and downtown retail district. Is there a way to draw more FSC students and teachers off campus, on foot, to surrounding areas? YES: If there's an appealing walking environment all the way from the campus to attractive destinations.
The Tempe, Arizona listing caught my eye:
Standard-issue Sun belt sprawl has been transformed into a genuinely lively town through smart redevelopment and historical restoration. Local planners capitalized on the presence of Arizona State University to create a lively main street that attracts shoppers, cultural patrons, and lovers of urban atmosphere from around the area.
As Framingham looks to revitalize downtown, we ought to think about how to incorporate Framingham State College into the pedestrian life and streetscape of Framingham Centre, along with making an attractive transition between the center and downtown retail district. Is there a way to draw more FSC students and teachers off campus, on foot, to surrounding areas? YES: If there's an appealing walking environment all the way from the campus to attractive destinations.
August 1, 2004
‘Quality of Life’
While not about planning, designing and building livable communities per se, I'd still like to note a fascinating New York Times/International Herald Tribune piece about the differences between European and American views of vacation and leisure time (this version on thestar.com may be available longer without having to pay).
"Some economists and European officials argue that, rather than reflecting a failure to catch up with its more industrious competitors because of faltering productivity growth, Europe's more modest income level mainly reflects policy choices that have tended to put a premium on leisure and equality at the expense of greater wealth," the article says.
"Contrary to conventional wisdom, Western European productivity growth outpaced that of the United States in the last 30 years. In some countries, including France, productivity now exceeds that in the United States. . . .
"Some economists and European officials argue that, rather than reflecting a failure to catch up with its more industrious competitors because of faltering productivity growth, Europe's more modest income level mainly reflects policy choices that have tended to put a premium on leisure and equality at the expense of greater wealth," the article says.
"Contrary to conventional wisdom, Western European productivity growth outpaced that of the United States in the last 30 years. In some countries, including France, productivity now exceeds that in the United States. . . .
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