Blog
A Parking Success and City Crisis
Posted by Rebecca Eggleston on December 15, 2009 |
Over the past 50 years, Hartford’s leaders have successfully achieved what they thought would bring greater prosperity to downtown: more parking.
The University of Connecticut’s Center for Transportation and Urban Planning, however, has revealed a frightening picture in its study of the cumulative effect on the city of providing parking.
“What we found was startling: Since 1960, the number of parking spaces in downtown Hartford increased by more than 300 percent — from 15,000 to 46,000 spaces. This change has had a profound and devastating effect on the structure and function of the city as one historic building after another was demolished.”
Over that period “downtown was losing more than 60 percent of its residential population, and the city as a whole lost 40,000 people and 7,000 jobs.”
Read the full article here.
Can iQuilt Reknit Downtown Hartford?
Posted by Carol Coletta on June 23, 2009 |
You've been in this downtown before. It feels so disconnected that no one even thinks of walking. Instead, they'll hop in the car to drive three short blocks.
Hartford, CT, will unveil a plan tomorrow to address the problem. Tom Condon of the Hartford Courant previews the plan with generall good reviews.
Demographic Trends Now Favor Downtown
Posted by Carol Coletta on May 27, 2009 |
That's the headline on a piece from MSNBC. When I started working to redevelop downtown Memphis in the mid-70s, a headline like that was unthinkable. And yet, there it is.
To quote from the article, "Most demographic and market indicators suggest that growth and development across the country are moving away from the suburban and exurban fringe and toward center-cities and close-in suburbs.
"What's behind this shift? Empty-nesters don't need the big house and don't want to mow the big lawn. High gas prices are making long commutes less practical. The urban renaissance in big cities ranging from New York to Portland, Ore. — and the revival of charming, vibrant downtowns in small cities like Missoula, Mont. — is making the bedroom suburb and the strip mall seem positively dull."
What MSNBC left out was the most obvious leading trend: By 2000, 25 to 34 year-olds were 33% more likely than other Americans to live within a three-mile radius of the CBD (evidenced by all those double strollers in San Francisco's Mission District this weekend).
One Way to Stimulate Visits to Downtown
Posted by Carol Coletta on February 26, 2009 |
Got this in the mail today from friends in Cape Town and had to share...
Retail Therapy is not only about shopping, it is also about winning. But why hold an ordinary competition, when we can play games?
Since Monday 23 February, the Internet and the streets of the Central City have been abuzz with the exploits of Jodi and Seano. Seano has hidden a memory stick containing risque photos of his ex-girlfriend Jodi somewhere in the Central City. Jodi, a young model, has offered R20 000 (the proceeds of a returned gift from Seano) as reward. Seano began posting clues on his blog (Seanosgame.blogspot.com), while Jodi's hints, tips and other ramblings can be found on her blog (Jodisrevenge.blogspot.com).
Find the memory stick and win the reward! A girl's reputation is at stake! And you need the loot for some well-deserved Retail Therapy.
Growth the Austin Way
Posted by Carol Coletta on December 08, 2008 |
Austin is one of the nation's most successful cities. The nation's 14th largest city with 800,000 population, Austin is bigger than Washington, San Francisco and Boston. It is also the nation's youngest big city.
Mayor Will Wynn is contending with the addition of 85 new cars on Austin roads every day by pushing -- hard -- for downtown, mixed-used development. "My constituents gripe about me and about density," Mayor Wynn says. "High rises don't represent the Austin they remember.
"I'm as nostalgic as the next person, but nostalgia doesn't help deal with growth. The fact is attractive cities attract people. Which side of the sword do you want to be on? If you are not growing, young people are leaving.
"The question is not if we grow, but how we grow. We have to get people living closer to where they work. That's the answer. The only other answer is to put 85 new cars on the road every day.
"It is irresponsible not to plan for growth and get a helluva lot more people living close to work."
Mayor Wynn and his family (yes, he has children) live downtown where 14,000 new residential…
Johannesburg: The Big Surprise
Posted by Carol Coletta on October 18, 2008 |
I couldn’t find a guidebook before I arrived in Johannesburg. In fact, I couldn’t find one after I arrived either. And the attractions listed in the (very good) hotel directory had only five listings, including a Lion Park and the Zoo. Not exactly what this urbanist had in mind.
But this afternoon, Neil Fraser saved me. Neil founded Central Johannesburg Partnership and now runs Urban Inc. He invited me to join a previously planned tour of the city’s CBD, and he showed me spots of great glory.
Easily, the most impressive part of downtown was the plaza that connects two Art Deco buildings serving the mining industry. The plaza extends into a mining themed street with other handsome Art Deco buildings along the way. The landscaping was lush and the plaza was immaculate. However, on Saturday afternoon, the street was deserted. Neil assured me that if this were a weekday, the street would be filled with cafes and people. But there was no sign of that vibrancy today. There is also little retailing, other than the markets (not such a bad thing, really).
Neil says people are moving downtown again, and it is just…
Best $13 Million Invested in a Downtown
Posted by on April 21, 2008 |
Greenville's Falls Park on the Reedy is a gem of a downtown park. I've seen nothing to compare.
Mayor Knox White explained to me tonight at dinner that it wasn't easy getting the people excited about featuring a falls most had never seen. (The fact that the park was paid for by a $.02 convention tax helped.) But the City proceeded with its plans, convincing the State to donate a road bridge, that the city then tore down for a $1 million and invested another $12 million in a sweeping new pedestrian bridge and the park.
Falls Park is just one aspect of the city's charming downtown, but it is a breathtaking addition.
I wrote earlier about the new ad campaign for Upstate SC (Greenville and Spartanburg). It's theme is "I Was Blown Away." And, indeed, I was blown away.
This is a very cool city.
Greenville, South Carolina
Posted by on April 21, 2008 |
Greenville, SC, may be America's next break-out city. It is just gorgeous. It has a vibrant and growing downtown with a truly fabulous urban park at its center. It has a surprising number of local retailers and restaurateurs, the buildings are "right sized" for Greenville, signage is handled really well, there is lots of new housing and several new hotels. Housing prices are apparently holding up well. The biggest problem in that sector is people who can't sell their homes in other markets to move here.
Per capita income lags peer cities, but that may be a hold over from the fall out over loss of the textile mills. More later