There's an interesting piece in The Aurora Daily Sun & Sentinel about how a declining inner suburb with relatively high crime is being revitalized in part through a government investment in attracting artists to the area.
A new mixed-use development dubbed Florence Square in an area of Aurora, Colo., includes a hundred residential units with art studios. The rest of the 4.5-acre square will feature retail shops, office buildings, more apartments and an "arts walk."
In fact, walkability is a prime attraction of the center -- walking to galleries, other stores and public transportation when needed. “I love the idea of being able to walk to galleries and local shops that might be selling my art,” long-time Denver-based artist Irving Watts told the paper.
Downtown revitalization, anyone?
October 29, 2004
October 25, 2004
REI: Flagship Store Vs. Framingham Store
Maybe you've been to the REI store in Framingham, off Rte. 30 in one of the most pedestrian-hostile areas of town. Trying to get there by foot from the other side of the street is an adventure, although not exactly the kind of excitement that the outdoor-gear retailer has in mind.
It's a typical suburban-sprawl kind of place, set back from the road, offset by unlandscaped asphalt.
But their flagship store in Seattle sure sports quite a different look -- it's surrounded by a half-acre of beautifully landscaped forest, complete with waterfall.
"For most stores, the landscape consists of little more than a parking lot or garage and perhaps a few pots of seasonal flowers, a small investment compared with the building itself. But the forest surrounding REI stretches over 21,000 square feet, even though code required less than 3,000 square feet of landscaping. The waterfall alone cost more than $100,000," the Seattle Times' Pacific Northwest magazine reports.
Project manager Greg Brower explained: "Even though it's a retail store, it's all about the outdoors."
Well, in Seattle maybe. Certainly not in Framingham.
It's a typical suburban-sprawl kind of place, set back from the road, offset by unlandscaped asphalt.
But their flagship store in Seattle sure sports quite a different look -- it's surrounded by a half-acre of beautifully landscaped forest, complete with waterfall.
"For most stores, the landscape consists of little more than a parking lot or garage and perhaps a few pots of seasonal flowers, a small investment compared with the building itself. But the forest surrounding REI stretches over 21,000 square feet, even though code required less than 3,000 square feet of landscaping. The waterfall alone cost more than $100,000," the Seattle Times' Pacific Northwest magazine reports.
Project manager Greg Brower explained: "Even though it's a retail store, it's all about the outdoors."
Well, in Seattle maybe. Certainly not in Framingham.
October 24, 2004
Saving Charlestown’s City Square
If you've got today's Boston Globe, take a look at the Sunday magazine's last page, Cityscapes. You'll see three photos: how a wonderful urban space looked a hundred years ago, how that place was pretty much destroyed by design for the automobile, and then how it's been restored to once again be a place that draws people in.
"In our 1987 photo, we see the ravages perpetrated on so many American cities when they carved themselves up to make way for the automobile," note Robert Campbell and Peter Vanderwarker.
Now, though, the elevated roadway has been torn down and "the square is a park again, designed by landscape architect Craig Halvorson, who also did Boston's fine Post Office Square park. . . . City Square is again an active part of the city."
"In our 1987 photo, we see the ravages perpetrated on so many American cities when they carved themselves up to make way for the automobile," note Robert Campbell and Peter Vanderwarker.
Now, though, the elevated roadway has been torn down and "the square is a park again, designed by landscape architect Craig Halvorson, who also did Boston's fine Post Office Square park. . . . City Square is again an active part of the city."
October 23, 2004
Demand For Housing Near Train Stations
Demand for housing near subway and commuter rail stations is expected to skyrocket in the next 25 years, with "at least a quarter of all new households — 14.6 million households -- [potentially] looking for housing in these transit zones," according to a study, Hidden in Plain Sight, from planning groups in Chicago and San Francisco. "This is a staggering figure, since only a small portion of all new housing is being built in these locations today."
An estimated 6 million households are now within half a mile of transit stations.
Much of the demand will occur in five cities with "mature and extensive transit systems," the study says: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco. But other communities with smaller systems but soaring growth, such as Denver and Salt Lake City, are also likely to see heavy demand for housing within walking distance of a subway or commuter rail line.
An estimated 6 million households are now within half a mile of transit stations.
Much of the demand will occur in five cities with "mature and extensive transit systems," the study says: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco. But other communities with smaller systems but soaring growth, such as Denver and Salt Lake City, are also likely to see heavy demand for housing within walking distance of a subway or commuter rail line.
October 17, 2004
‘Smart Growth’ Around Train Stations: A How-To
This easy-to-read 4-page guide (see PDF file) offers basic advice on how to get maximum community benefit out of developments around transit stations.
For example, an obvious but often-ignored suggestion: "Coordinate safe and easy transfers between transit, car, bicycle, and pedestrian travel ways." (I'd add "appealing" to "safe and easy").
The guide also includes some photos to illustrate what they're talking about.
No one is expecting that everyone will foresake their cars and walk or bike to the station, even with "smart growth." The point is to allow, encourage and entice more people to use alternate transportation -- especially if they're within walking distance.
It's important to remember that people will still drive their cars from place to place even if they're close enough to walk, unless there's a pedestrian-friendly route for them. And that means more than installing sidewalks in an environment that's still off-putting to walkers.
(Thanks to Beyond Brilliance, Beyond Stupidity for the link, and the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission for the guide.)
For example, an obvious but often-ignored suggestion: "Coordinate safe and easy transfers between transit, car, bicycle, and pedestrian travel ways." (I'd add "appealing" to "safe and easy").
The guide also includes some photos to illustrate what they're talking about.
No one is expecting that everyone will foresake their cars and walk or bike to the station, even with "smart growth." The point is to allow, encourage and entice more people to use alternate transportation -- especially if they're within walking distance.
It's important to remember that people will still drive their cars from place to place even if they're close enough to walk, unless there's a pedestrian-friendly route for them. And that means more than installing sidewalks in an environment that's still off-putting to walkers.
(Thanks to Beyond Brilliance, Beyond Stupidity for the link, and the Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission for the guide.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)