"...which is happening increasingly often, say goodbye to strip malls fronted by seas of parking, office parks with faux waterfalls and cookie-cutter subdivisions," says a Chicago Tribune report on the New Urbanists' annual conference.
Goodbye to strip malls fronted by seas of parking -- wouldn't that be great!
"The goal of the movement is to revive the kind of planning and architecture that shaped cities such as Chicago, with its scrambled, dense mix of homes, shops, restaurants, sidewalks, parks and offices.
"This kind of planning is basically dead in America, New Urbanists say, replaced by a shift toward things simpler and, in their opinion, soul-killing: strip malls, office parks and subdivisions, all accessible only by car. . . .
"Most Main Streets across the U.S. would be impossible to build today because zoning codes often prohibit limited parking as well as building offices and apartments above stores, said [former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist, president of the Congress for New Urbanism."
June 29, 2004
June 28, 2004
New 3.5-Mile Trail in Southborough
"After two years of talks with the MWRA, the town has received permission to extend its trail along the Sudbury Reservoir -- a major stride in the town's overall trail network," says the MetroWest Daily News. "Once it is complete, the Open Channel Trail will connect with the existing 2 1/2-mile Sudbury Reservoir Trail. The entire trail begins at the east end of Main Street, goes west along the water the whole way and ends near the town's Northborough Road."
Ah, to finally have our Cochituate Rail Trail open in Framingham as well....
Update: There's a Web site where you can keep track of area railtrail news, at www.Framinghamtrails.org.
Ah, to finally have our Cochituate Rail Trail open in Framingham as well....
Update: There's a Web site where you can keep track of area railtrail news, at www.Framinghamtrails.org.
June 27, 2004
The Other Major Local Mall Project
In addition to the major Natick Mall expansion, there's another large-scale mall project on the table in MetroWest: a $105 million, 850,000-square-foot new mall on the Hudson-Berlin line on Rte. 62.
Interestingly, in keeping with the current trend in major shopping centers (see previous post), this won't be an enclosed center.
"The open-air mall, called Highland Commons, would include high-end department stores. smaller shops, and restaurants," Globe West reports.
The developers are promising "quality design, construction, and landscaping . . . to make it a visually attractive and desirable shopping destination," the story says. However, there's NOTHING in the article about pedestrian/bicycle access or a pedestrian friendly environment.
Attention Hudson & Berlin planners: This is new development. You've got a golden opportunity to begin reversing decades of pedestrian-hostile sprawl and demand a design that gives equal weight to non-motorized travel. This would make the new mall a much more appealing addition to your communities, instead of just another bunch of stores surrounded by an ocean of pavement that forces vehicle-only access.
Interestingly, in keeping with the current trend in major shopping centers (see previous post), this won't be an enclosed center.
"The open-air mall, called Highland Commons, would include high-end department stores. smaller shops, and restaurants," Globe West reports.
The developers are promising "quality design, construction, and landscaping . . . to make it a visually attractive and desirable shopping destination," the story says. However, there's NOTHING in the article about pedestrian/bicycle access or a pedestrian friendly environment.
Attention Hudson & Berlin planners: This is new development. You've got a golden opportunity to begin reversing decades of pedestrian-hostile sprawl and demand a design that gives equal weight to non-motorized travel. This would make the new mall a much more appealing addition to your communities, instead of just another bunch of stores surrounded by an ocean of pavement that forces vehicle-only access.
June 25, 2004
Natick Mall Expansion Design
The MetroWest Daily News reports on architectural drawings for the Natick Mall expansion, which will apparently feature "tall, conical glass entrances and concrete berm that will rise and fall like rolling hills. An all-glass restaurant sits above a tunnel and one restaurant will have an outside eating deck," the article says.
Outside is nice, although a deck over a view of a parking lot wouldn't be all that appealing.
The artist's rendition on the News Web site shows three people walking by the buildings; but if you look carefully, that view at least is certainly not very pedestrian friendly -- there's no barrier at all between the sidewalk area and the street. The only reason those artist-rendition pedestrians appear to be strolling so casually and happily is that there are no speeding vehicles (or ANY vehicles) in the drawing.
The architects, Beyer Blinder Belle, also worked on the fabulous Grand Central Terminal restoration in New York. So hopefully they have something better in mind for the mall expansion than a modern, sleek-looking center surrounded by a pedestrian-hostile environment that one would only want to drive to or between.
Outside is nice, although a deck over a view of a parking lot wouldn't be all that appealing.
The artist's rendition on the News Web site shows three people walking by the buildings; but if you look carefully, that view at least is certainly not very pedestrian friendly -- there's no barrier at all between the sidewalk area and the street. The only reason those artist-rendition pedestrians appear to be strolling so casually and happily is that there are no speeding vehicles (or ANY vehicles) in the drawing.
The architects, Beyer Blinder Belle, also worked on the fabulous Grand Central Terminal restoration in New York. So hopefully they have something better in mind for the mall expansion than a modern, sleek-looking center surrounded by a pedestrian-hostile environment that one would only want to drive to or between.
Mayor Daley’s Green Crusade
"The longtime Chicago mayor has vowed to make his city the greenest in the nation," begins an article in Metropolis magazine.
More than 40,000 trees have been planted in the city during his tenure; 63 miles of "median strips with planters were built into city streets and filled like cornucopias with flowers, plants, shrubs, and of course, more trees."
“It’s not just about beautification. And he gets that," Lisa Roberts, director of the Garfield Park Conservatory ("one of the nation’s largest and oldest—which was on the verge of total collapse when Daley put her in charge of a complete renovation") told Metropolis. "One of the smart things he did was to bring in some researchers to address city council members who showed that the presence of greening in people’s lives has a direct link to lowering crime rates, improving test scores, boosting real estate values, et cetera."
I would add: a greener city is also likely to be a more walker-friendly community.
(If you'd like to see what planting trees can do for a moribund business district, do take a look at this Flash presentation from Urban Advantage).
More than 40,000 trees have been planted in the city during his tenure; 63 miles of "median strips with planters were built into city streets and filled like cornucopias with flowers, plants, shrubs, and of course, more trees."
“It’s not just about beautification. And he gets that," Lisa Roberts, director of the Garfield Park Conservatory ("one of the nation’s largest and oldest—which was on the verge of total collapse when Daley put her in charge of a complete renovation") told Metropolis. "One of the smart things he did was to bring in some researchers to address city council members who showed that the presence of greening in people’s lives has a direct link to lowering crime rates, improving test scores, boosting real estate values, et cetera."
I would add: a greener city is also likely to be a more walker-friendly community.
(If you'd like to see what planting trees can do for a moribund business district, do take a look at this Flash presentation from Urban Advantage).
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