Comments on: 8 Common Values of Successful Downtowns http://www.imaginativeamerica.com/2008/08/8-common-values-of-successful-downtowns/ Thu, 08 Dec 2011 23:13:13 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Blair http://www.imaginativeamerica.com/2008/08/8-common-values-of-successful-downtowns/comment-page-1/#comment-115 Blair Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:15:30 +0000 http://imaginativeamerica.com/?p=124#comment-115 Nick - You are absolutely correct - good eye. It popped up on a search for Downtown Baton Rouge images, but I did a little more digging and found out this is actually Miami. Miami...Baton Rouge...umm, yeh, probably a small difference in skylines :). I really appreciate your enthusiasm for the great things that OKC has done to revitalize its downtown. I agree with much of what you say. Still, we need to try to balance are excitement with for what has been accomplished with a desire to continuously improve and take it all to the next step. We seem to be going through a period where we are unsure how far we want to take this thing, with no clear vision as to what is next and what we are ultimately trying to accomplish. MOBILITY and CONSERVATION are two issues that could use more attention and should be addressed as soon as possible. Also, it is still difficult for us to argue that our downtown is completely viable when there continues to be a dearth of both neighborhood and destination RETAIL. Regardless, it is an exciting time and so much of the work done over the last 15 years has paid off - we just need to keep working! I guess I will leave the Miami image as a monument to my error, but here is the real downtown Baton Rouge for those that are interested: <img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/BatonRougeSkyline.JPG" alt="Baton Rouge" /> Nick –

You are absolutely correct – good eye. It popped up on a search for Downtown Baton Rouge images, but I did a little more digging and found out this is actually Miami. Miami…Baton Rouge…umm, yeh, probably a small difference in skylines :).

I really appreciate your enthusiasm for the great things that OKC has done to revitalize its downtown. I agree with much of what you say. Still, we need to try to balance are excitement with for what has been accomplished with a desire to continuously improve and take it all to the next step. We seem to be going through a period where we are unsure how far we want to take this thing, with no clear vision as to what is next and what we are ultimately trying to accomplish. MOBILITY and CONSERVATION are two issues that could use more attention and should be addressed as soon as possible. Also, it is still difficult for us to argue that our downtown is completely viable when there continues to be a dearth of both neighborhood and destination RETAIL. Regardless, it is an exciting time and so much of the work done over the last 15 years has paid off – we just need to keep working!

I guess I will leave the Miami image as a monument to my error, but here is the real downtown Baton Rouge for those that are interested:

Baton Rouge

]]> By: Nick Roberts http://www.imaginativeamerica.com/2008/08/8-common-values-of-successful-downtowns/comment-page-1/#comment-114 Nick Roberts Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:23:31 +0000 http://imaginativeamerica.com/?p=124#comment-114 I don't think that's Baton Rouge's skyline, which is probably about the size of the Medical District in OKC. I think that the basics of building a successful downtown have been rewritten in OKC. Yes, you must invest in culture, history, mobility, focus on quality urban design that attracts the Creative Class basically, BUT.. The basics of OKC's renaissance have been: 1. Get the entire community both urban and suburban behind a downtown renaissance by putting stuff for everyone in downtown. 2. Use downtown as an icon for all of your city's positive vibes. 3. Invest in stimulating the "downtown experience" by doing little things here and there to surround downtown visitors in urban sophistication and leave an impression on non-urbanites. 4. Downtown is an area of the city with just as much residential potential as say, Edmond, so there's no reason why it shouldn't have as many new units built each year. 5. It should be a cultural experience in every sense of the term. Of COURSE what we need to focus on more is MOBILITY and CONSERVATION. I don’t think that’s Baton Rouge’s skyline, which is probably about the size of the Medical District in OKC.

I think that the basics of building a successful downtown have been rewritten in OKC. Yes, you must invest in culture, history, mobility, focus on quality urban design that attracts the Creative Class basically, BUT..

The basics of OKC’s renaissance have been:

1. Get the entire community both urban and suburban behind a downtown renaissance by putting stuff for everyone in downtown.
2. Use downtown as an icon for all of your city’s positive vibes.
3. Invest in stimulating the “downtown experience” by doing little things here and there to surround downtown visitors in urban sophistication and leave an impression on non-urbanites.
4. Downtown is an area of the city with just as much residential potential as say, Edmond, so there’s no reason why it shouldn’t have as many new units built each year.
5. It should be a cultural experience in every sense of the term.

Of COURSE what we need to focus on more is MOBILITY and CONSERVATION.

]]> By: Blair http://www.imaginativeamerica.com/2008/08/8-common-values-of-successful-downtowns/comment-page-1/#comment-103 Blair Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:46:39 +0000 http://imaginativeamerica.com/?p=124#comment-103 Yeh, we definitely need to improve the connections between MANY nodes of activity. Downtown is the most important of these nodes of activity, but we have to create similar "places" at the neighborhood and/or district level. These local nodes become the familiar places of people living in those areas and can serve as gateway for people taking transit to other areas of the city. Of course, to do this we need some sort of real transit system, even if it is improved buses or bus rapid transit (BRT). If someone is traveling by car then it can be as simple as a larger highway sign...though it is not necessarily an elegant solution. Yeh, we definitely need to improve the connections between MANY nodes of activity. Downtown is the most important of these nodes of activity, but we have to create similar “places” at the neighborhood and/or district level. These local nodes become the familiar places of people living in those areas and can serve as gateway for people taking transit to other areas of the city. Of course, to do this we need some sort of real transit system, even if it is improved buses or bus rapid transit (BRT). If someone is traveling by car then it can be as simple as a larger highway sign…though it is not necessarily an elegant solution.

]]> By: CGHill http://www.imaginativeamerica.com/2008/08/8-common-values-of-successful-downtowns/comment-page-1/#comment-95 CGHill Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:35:46 +0000 http://imaginativeamerica.com/?p=124#comment-95 Our biggest problem, I suspect, is mobility: we're building a free-floating island of urbanity in the middle of the city, which is good, but most people are going to find themselves cut off from it, because they don't know what's where, or how to get to it if they did. (We had an office party in Bricktown one year, and nearly a third of the staff had no idea how to get there.) Our biggest problem, I suspect, is mobility: we’re building a free-floating island of urbanity in the middle of the city, which is good, but most people are going to find themselves cut off from it, because they don’t know what’s where, or how to get to it if they did. (We had an office party in Bricktown one year, and nearly a third of the staff had no idea how to get there.)

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