LA article
Most recent Cleveland planning explorations have not been as impressive nor seemingly condusive to helping our city grow as a regional community as one would have hoped. There have been some major improvements, a high speed transit corridor reclaiming downtown as a major destination, ordinances creating zoning to protect and create urban green spaces and discussion about improving pedestrian and cycling access to downtown from some of the inner suburbs.
I suppose my greatest concerns regarding city planning has been the constant disregard for the area surrounding the river and utilizing public works or small scale projects to re-invigorate the area instead of large sweeping plans which seem to want to devour existing neighborhoods and supplant them with a cariacature of what urban living could be. At times I find the explosion of development driven large scale condos/lifestyle centers/new-urbanistical not only counter intuitive to contributing to the creation of neighborhoods but as a catalyst that actually destroys the historical fabric and recognizable imagery of our beloved city.
At some point I would hope that our review and planning boards are taken over by some who want to contribute more to the city then cardboard cutouts of good buildings by attempting to create a more livable place and through that solve our social issues in one fell swoop.
Related questions that rattle around my skull late at night...
Are denser areas really more walkable?
Which comes first, the inhabitants or the infrastructure to support them?
Are historical buildings really so unable to adapt to our current needs that they are best left empty or as hostile lots rather then being retrofitted?
If rent downtown is going to be more then in the suburbs, what is going to make me choose to live downtown?
Can community building solve the woes of our disharmony?
Can you build a sustainable community (Economic and environmental)?
Who will speak to this?
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