June 30, 2006
Half a Million Dollars for Downtown Framingham Revitalization
The state legislature and Gov. Romney have approved $500,000 for the Framingham Downtown Renaissance economic revitalization group and the development of a capital plan for Framingham, the MetroWest Daily News reports. I'm not sure yet what specifically the money will be spent on (although I hope some streetscape improvements!)
Framingham Planner to Speak on Pedestrian, Bicycle Issues
The Planning Department has gained additional staff and will be able to dedicate more resources to bicycle, pedestrian, and trail projects, William Hanson, chair of the Framingham Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, reports. Planner Lily Pollans will attend the committee's next meeting, July 11, 7:30 pm at Town Hall, to discuss current projects and goals for improving Framingham's accommodation of cyclists and pedestrians.
He also notes that Moving Together 2006, the statewide bicycle and pedestrian conference, will be held on October 18, 2006 at the Marriott Boston Courtyard Hotel. For registration information, see the UMASS Baystate Roads Web site. To get on the pre-conference e-mail list, send your e-mail address to baystate_roads@hotmail.com.
He also notes that Moving Together 2006, the statewide bicycle and pedestrian conference, will be held on October 18, 2006 at the Marriott Boston Courtyard Hotel. For registration information, see the UMASS Baystate Roads Web site. To get on the pre-conference e-mail list, send your e-mail address to baystate_roads@hotmail.com.
June 28, 2006
Study: Middle-income urban neighborhoods disappearing even faster than the middle class
It's not just Manhattan that's turning into an urban enclave for either the rich or poor. As the American middle class shrinks, urban middle-class neighborhoods are disappearing even faster, according to a Brookings Institution analysis of 1970-2000 U.S. census data.
"Middle-income neighborhoods as a proportion of all metropolitan neighborhoods declined from 58 percent in 1970 to 41 percent in 2000," the analysis notes. "This dramatic decline far outpaced the corresponding drop in the proportion of metropolitan families earning middle incomes, from 28 percent in 1970 to 22 percent in 2000."
The Boston/NH "PMSA" (primary metropolitan statistical area) had just 21.9% of residents in the middle-income category, according to the Brookings Institution analysis. That includes much of eastern Massachusetts as well as some of southern New Hampshire.
"Middle-income neighborhoods as a proportion of all metropolitan neighborhoods declined from 58 percent in 1970 to 41 percent in 2000," the analysis notes. "This dramatic decline far outpaced the corresponding drop in the proportion of metropolitan families earning middle incomes, from 28 percent in 1970 to 22 percent in 2000."
The Boston/NH "PMSA" (primary metropolitan statistical area) had just 21.9% of residents in the middle-income category, according to the Brookings Institution analysis. That includes much of eastern Massachusetts as well as some of southern New Hampshire.
June 25, 2006
Pedestrian Friendly: Absolutely Opaque on the Concept
Talk about unclear on the concept of what pedestrian friendly development should be! In yesterday's Boston Globe article about an outdoor "lifestyle center" shopping center coming to Burlington was this gem of a quote from Steve Rice at Patriot Partners , Wayside Commons' developer:
"It's pedestrian friendly. You can pull your car up right to the front of a store."
Is this what our auto-centric couch-potato society has come to? "Pedestrian-friendly" is now a definition of a drive-up window? Argh! "Pedestian-friendly" does NOT mean creating an environment where you don't actually have to do any walking! "Pedestrian-friendly" means creating an environment that is attractive and welcoming to people on foot.
Got that, Mr. Rice? Newbury Street is pedestrian-friendly, even though you usually can't pull your car right up to a store. The Burger King drive-through window is not pedestrian-friendly, even though you can pull your car right up.
Amazingly, the Globe article continued on Rice's theme:
The problem with traditional mall parking is not that you have to walk; it's that you have to walk in a particularly unappealing ocean of asphalt. Shoppers happily walk much longer down Newbury Street or in Quincy Market, without feeling the need to have a car drive them from one end to the other.
It's not about distance. It's about ambiance, and streetscape, and good design.
"It's pedestrian friendly. You can pull your car up right to the front of a store."
Is this what our auto-centric couch-potato society has come to? "Pedestrian-friendly" is now a definition of a drive-up window? Argh! "Pedestian-friendly" does NOT mean creating an environment where you don't actually have to do any walking! "Pedestrian-friendly" means creating an environment that is attractive and welcoming to people on foot.
Got that, Mr. Rice? Newbury Street is pedestrian-friendly, even though you usually can't pull your car right up to a store. The Burger King drive-through window is not pedestrian-friendly, even though you can pull your car right up.
Amazingly, the Globe article continued on Rice's theme:
The Burlington Mall has the traditional ocean of spaces -- 5,700 of them -- with the stores forming an island in the middle. It's a hike from the space farthest away. Stores in Wayside Commons form a horseshoe, with most of the center's 800 spaces in the center, making for a much shorter walk.
The problem with traditional mall parking is not that you have to walk; it's that you have to walk in a particularly unappealing ocean of asphalt. Shoppers happily walk much longer down Newbury Street or in Quincy Market, without feeling the need to have a car drive them from one end to the other.
It's not about distance. It's about ambiance, and streetscape, and good design.
June 18, 2006
‘Is this a pedestrian-friendly city or a vehicle-friendly city?’
There's an interesting debate going on in downtown Dallas over a stretch of Browder Street, which is supposed to be pedestrian-only. But now cars are already using it, and there's some talk of allowing vehicles back.
"We give up so much to our cars and give so little to our pedestrians," Dallas City Council member Angela Hunt told the Dallas Morning News. "Allowing vehicles on a pedestrian way – you know what that's called? It's called a street."
"The city needs to decide whether this is a pedestrian-friendly city or a vehicle-friendly city," resident Brittny Garrett told the paper, after she was almost struck by a car while walking her dog on the supposed pedestrian-only stretch.
Some businesses are complaining about the lack of vehicular access. But frankly it's hard for me to work up too much sympathy over people who can't get their valet-parked cars delivered right to them without having to walk. Especially since it's pedestrians who apparently brought the street back to life.
"Two years ago, Browder Street languished, mostly abandoned by people and cars," the Morning News notes. "Then last year, the Urban Market grocery and cafe opened on the southern stretch of Browder Street's two blocks. Hundreds of people began populating the adjacent Dallas Power & Light and Interurban buildings, newly transformed from empty, decaying hulks into sparkling apartment complexes. Fuse restaurant and Crimson in the City clothier opened near Browder Street as well.
"They provided enough critical mass for pedestrians. Browder Street now teems with life throughout the day – businesspeople during lunchtime, grocery shoppers and dog walkers during evenings.
"But as a pedestrian mall, at least, it's falling victim to downtown's success."
Kind of like the artists who renovate lofts in marginal neighborhoods, eventually making them so attractive that they get priced out for their efforts. Looks like something similar may be happening in Dallas, where residents of the area want to keep the pedestrian area but others feel deprived if they can't drive every single block of the city (it's not like vehicles don't have access pretty much everywhere else). Said Councilor Hunt: "Browder is such a small thing for cars to give up, and it's such a big thing for pedestrians to give up."
"We give up so much to our cars and give so little to our pedestrians," Dallas City Council member Angela Hunt told the Dallas Morning News. "Allowing vehicles on a pedestrian way – you know what that's called? It's called a street."
"The city needs to decide whether this is a pedestrian-friendly city or a vehicle-friendly city," resident Brittny Garrett told the paper, after she was almost struck by a car while walking her dog on the supposed pedestrian-only stretch.
Some businesses are complaining about the lack of vehicular access. But frankly it's hard for me to work up too much sympathy over people who can't get their valet-parked cars delivered right to them without having to walk. Especially since it's pedestrians who apparently brought the street back to life.
"Two years ago, Browder Street languished, mostly abandoned by people and cars," the Morning News notes. "Then last year, the Urban Market grocery and cafe opened on the southern stretch of Browder Street's two blocks. Hundreds of people began populating the adjacent Dallas Power & Light and Interurban buildings, newly transformed from empty, decaying hulks into sparkling apartment complexes. Fuse restaurant and Crimson in the City clothier opened near Browder Street as well.
"They provided enough critical mass for pedestrians. Browder Street now teems with life throughout the day – businesspeople during lunchtime, grocery shoppers and dog walkers during evenings.
"But as a pedestrian mall, at least, it's falling victim to downtown's success."
Kind of like the artists who renovate lofts in marginal neighborhoods, eventually making them so attractive that they get priced out for their efforts. Looks like something similar may be happening in Dallas, where residents of the area want to keep the pedestrian area but others feel deprived if they can't drive every single block of the city (it's not like vehicles don't have access pretty much everywhere else). Said Councilor Hunt: "Browder is such a small thing for cars to give up, and it's such a big thing for pedestrians to give up."
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