Recent comments
Random Blog Topics
reNew Design Studio
reNew Design Studio: reNew Design Studio offers affordable high quality design with a focus on renovation, custom homes, kitchens, bathrooms, additions, garages, decks, and other residential projects.
Recent comments
Random image
Knowledge is a power, however, it does not help in some cases. In fact, you do not only need firm knowledge to finish academic assignments. Perfect writing techniques and lots of free time is required also! Nonetheless, what should you do if you don't have got all these things? Should you destroy your degree program? Of course not! It is better to use essay buying options. It is a fair in such a situation.
Numbers of my comrades buy essays at famous custom papers companies. Furthermore, such custom writing services satisfy university students' specific instructions.
Nothing in our world is as good as academic results approaching and there's real to buy essay to realize your dreams!
That's great that we are able to take the credit loans and this opens up new chances.
This type of discussion is one of the reasons I enjoy blogging! I think I see now what you have been getting at - let me try to respond and see if it moves the discussion forward.
"Bad" density can be bad for two reasons: socioeconomic and form. Having studied both architecture and social work I have taken some opportunity to explore each. I have come to the conclusion that the physical form of density can be an aggravating factor, but ultimately is not the determining factor in the fundamental character of a specific "dense" development. Indeed, I consider the characteristic suburban apartment complex form just as disagreeable as the characteristic mid-century public housing form. The difference becomes primarily socioeconomic and political.
Perhaps when we are discussing urbanity as a concept, the definition of density should not be related to number of inhabitants but rather something like "layers". A densely "layered" (hence "urban") neighborhood might be one that consists primarily of single family homes, scattered apartments, a connected street grid, variety of income levels, an active public realm, integral commercial streets, and effective transportation connections to adjacent neighborhoods. Such a neighborhood might also be "dense" in the sense of being highly-built, and may also have high property values, but would not need these characteristics to be "urban".
Neighborhoods at either end of the value spectrum seem to also exhibit less socioeconomic and racial diversity than those within a couple standard deviations of average.
The diversity elements are most certainly more subjective than the others. I think perhaps I included them simply because I feel more "urban" when I am in places that people different than me also enjoy being. There is an intangible energy in a mixed-use commercial district like the Delmar Loop in St. Louis with a diverse population of inhabitants and users. If I had to lose one of my elements, I suppose it would be this one. There are many examples of "urban" places that have relatively homogeneous populations. What they lack to me is a general feeling of being urban in a good way.
The new "lifestyle center" development concept that tries to emulate a vibrant mixed-use district by fabricating density and diversity of use feels antiseptic to me because they tend to fail at also producing a diversity of user. To borrow from Howard Kunstler, places created to be cartoons of actual successful places may be both dense (in the traditional sense) and valuable (in an economic sense) but fail at being urban.
I think that diversity of use is most definitely a defining characteristic of urbanity as opposed to suburban or rural.
Thank you for a lively and challenging discussion!
Sorry to keep pestering you, but I think there is something really profound here, but it just has to be elucidated a bit. You are right that density is relative. There are good forms of density and bad forms. In my opinion, the bad density is a product of a real estate delivery and city building system that has lost its way.
Where there should be a direct relationship between amenity and value/density, which is what your diagram shows, and how we know infrastructure and development at least SHOULD exist, there is not a direct relationship in what we might label as the 20th century city for shorthand. In fact, there is no relationship or guiding force. In many cases, it is delivering density where it doesn't want to be (and getting slums) or not correctly identifying the barriers to why density ISN'T happening in areas that have levels of amenity like high connectivity, etc.
I am still struggling with the two diversities, I guess. These strike me as outputs or resultant products of various forces rather than the inputs. I think this can get really strong if we're able to distill a similar diagram strictly to inputs. I guess the challenge with that is the feedback loops inherent in complex systems such as cities. I'm wondering, are there more elements to this equation? If so, what might they be? Or are there less, and they all revolve around connectivity and its various permutations?
This question requires an actual scenario in order to answer. Here are some of the issues that can factor into the decision-making process:
In your specific case with the stadium, the league requirement was an external influence that trumped all other considerations. Even if renovation would have otherwise been the preferable alternative, joining the new league was deemed more important.
In general, I tend to fall down on the side of renovation as the preferable option even when it is not necessarily least expensive in the short term. I think the long-term benefits of creating buildings that are repairable and built to last should be our goal.
Well, there's not much to do about the design of it. No one complained about it when it layout was unveiled during the planning. Did anyone attend the sessions and questioned it? If they didn't, that's their loss.
The new library was meant to be more than a library. The city and the citizens wanted the new library to stand out as a landmark of some sort.
I have a general question: is it more cost-effective to build something new rather than spend money renovating buildings? I compare the library topic to my hometown's public school stadium. My school district had to build a new stadium to replace the old stadium, which could have been renovated. The league we were joining would not admit us to their league unless we built a bigger modern stadium.
Density is a relative term. There are suburban apartment complexes that are much more dense than the neighborhood I live in, which is much more "urban". That's why I tried to distill the abstract idea of urbanity down to those key elements that differentiate what I see as "urban" from areas that are clearly not.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for your comments!
I've been thinking more about this diagram and I'm glad that you didn't include density or cost in the paradigm. In my opinion both are product of demand, which is driven by amenity aka the factors you have highlighted above. Density of development is merely a response to having connectivity, a compact and walkable neighborhood, diversity of uses ie diversity of restaurants, jobs, housing, etc... which incidentally is WalkScores next endeavor to improve their metric.
Great idea - thanks for your input!
For those of you who are not urban planning nerds, the Transect is a diagram of the transitions from dense urban development to natural landscape. Here's a great illustration: http://dpz.com/pdf/07-Transect%20Charts.pdf
You could probably link your six categories to the Transect as well, T6 to T1, and then map ideal scenarios (or at least examples of those T-zones throughout the country) that are considered to be functioning well and then compare to the local case studies...the difference becomes the object of analysis, goal setting, and benchmarking...
I am not a Davis County native (I hail from Story County), but do have a great deal of respect and appreciation for good design! I believe that there are certain common themes found in the spaces and places that people enjoy inhabiting, whether in New York City or Bloomfield, Iowa. Fundamentally, the elements that make Bryant Park in Manhattan a fabulous place are the same elements that make the Bloomfield town square a fabulous place!
Sounds like you are doing all the right things to preserve and restore the town square... Best of luck in fitting all the pieces together.
Dear Steve,
Your thoughts match my own..are you sure you are not a native of Davis County? My life's journey taught me the value of Bloomfield as a surviving small town. The Davis County Courthouse Preservation Fund has been working with the county board of supervisors since 2005 to fully rehabilitate the courthouse, beginning with the outer envelope. There is a lot to be done simply to save the building. We need cash!
You pointed out many wonderful aspects about the town of Bloomfield. Did you know the Iowa Theater is home to the Davis County Community Players, which presents three or four plays each year? The entire town square is a historic district, listed on the National Register? The City of Bloomfield just received a Community Block Development Grant to help owners rehabilitate their storefronts. Did you know the county-wide school district is building a new high school building adjacent to the old one, a short walk from the town square (yippee)? The community has a Carnegie Library still in its original building. There is a plan to dress up the commercial side of the square, which only needs funding to proceed. I invite you to visit our webpage: www.daviscountycourthouse.com , and also find us on facebook (davis county courthouse). We love you! Keep coming to Bloomfield! Next time, camp in Wapello State Park!
Linda Boatman, President, DCCPF
Montross, Virginia
Ben, thanks for reading! Having grown up in Ames and lived for years in St. Louis, it has been neat for me to experience the positive changes happening here in Des Moines.
This is a great post. As an Iowan living full-time in NY, I'm proud to see blogs like this, as well as some of the changes I see when I come home.
Thanks for creating a voice for a progressive Des Moines!
I emailed the DMPL to alert them of this situation and received a response from the acting director. Her guess is that the exit was blocked while the windows were being washed recently. They have also had several panels replaced. It is not their policy to block the door, and it was most likely done by the workers.
Since work was not going on when I took the photo, the workers must have neglected to remove the 2x4 when they finished. It is my suggestion that the library make it part of their facilities policy that contractors may not block exits without prior approval of the library. If approval to block an exit is granted, the contractor should provide a written plan that includes a specific person responsible for removing the block, and a specific time period that the exit path will be blocked.
However, a much better option during exterior work would be signage, caution cones, and/or caution tape on the inside to warn people not to open the door.
Yes, this is the end with the kids' section. I can't picture how this exit is accessed from the inside, but per code there would have to be emergency lighting and emergency exit signage.
I would guess they were having trouble with people, perhaps children, opening the door and someone made the (poor) decision to simply block it. I think the first step should be education of facilities staff. If that doesn't work, the city should get involved.
That's on the end with the kids section isn't it? I hope someone forwards this picture to the Fire Marshal.
Thanks for reading, Danelle.
Yes, creating this throughway has been apparently been attempted several times before. Excellent point about 2nd Avenue. I wonder if there isn't some sort of a middle ground that would involve infrastructure improvements to 2nd Avenue rather than slicing a new elevated road through wetlands and a connector through an urban neighborhood.
Perhaps it could be a "simple" as timed lights to reduce stopping and accelerating during rush hours. That would certainly cost a lot less than a new elevated roadway. Another idea might be an Ankeny "Park 'n Ride" station with express buses in the morning and evening. On second through, that would probably go over like a ton of bricks.
I find this fascinating. This is not the first time this has been proposed and it makes logistical sense. The last time it was defeated by the protected wildlife area that it would destroy. One more point is that it is unnecesary. 2nd Ave already does this. Directly to downtown from Ankeny.
Good work Steve! And having spoken to many Ankeny residents who also oppose this project, I have to add that there are plenty of people there who don't even see the value of using it to commute downtown. Or I should say that they place MORE value in not having their existing neighborhoods become the "old part" of town and their roads become congested from the sprawl that the road would fuel. They're keenly aware of the ills of the rapid growth nearby and don't want to see gas thrown on the fire!
Mike Baldus
www.nnrpp.org
The proposal looked good, although not perfect. Our collective thought towards planning is distorted if we think that a low-density neighborhood should be lower-density by changing from a school to a park. If some want low-density, can't we fill the space with homes just like the ones in the surrounding neighborhood rather than leaving it basically empty? How about some new Beaverdale Brick homes built just in the form of the originals?
[As a connector between University and Douglas, Beaver should be upwardly developed as neighborhood commercial along all or most of its length. I agree that densification to the extent of the Boesen proposal is not the only potential solution. However, there are no streets to logically continue through the site in order to redevelop as single-family homes. There simply isn't enough width to subdivide it north-south with a cul-da-sac while still preserving commercial/retail lots that front onto Beaver.
I don't doubt that the relative density of the site relates to development cost and profit. The denser the site, the greater the profit in relation to infrastructure and acquisition.
Looking again at the Boesen plan, I do object to all the curb cuts on Beaver. Redevelopment of the site should place commercial along Beaver with minimal curb cuts. All vehicular access should be from Adams.]
Okay, I am really happy to hear this news, and am very excited that we may see some even further enhancement of the 6th Avenue corridor, but would also like to see the continuation of that landscaping on further north, say to Euclid. I think that as it is now, 6th ave becomes a dusty, trash strewn mess and is actually a detterent to the Highland/Oak Park walkability. I do not want the level of street scaping that has occurred on Fluer, but some mediums with potential flower beds would be welcome, not only for asthetics, but also as islands for those of us attempting to cross to take refuge on when crossing.
Also, I would like to find out more about the city's awning ordinance. It was advanced to me that the area of 6th and 2nd and Euclid would be a whole lot more inviting with some shade, not to mention that it would soften the look of the street to have awnings and allow for some style of cafe seating, but in talking to a local business owner, was informed that their are additional fees that would be too costly for them to do an awning, and that the fees for the sidewalk seating would not justify the profit, if any, that they would see. So the neigborhood continues to loose business, and to be uninviting.
I would suggest that if the city were serious about preserving and reinvigorating these areas that they would look at easing or elimating any such fees. Any monies made from these fees would, in my opinion, be out weighed by the increase in business and thus taxes received from allowing these business to enhance their curb appeal by adding awnings and sidewalk seating. Also, trees planted along Euclid would go along way to creating additional curb appeal and an inviting atmosphere that would help not only Riverbend, Cheatom Park, but also Highland and Oak Park. Heck, it may also do alot to assist the downtown core with increased foot traffic and business.
Again, thank you for the site, I continue to enjoy your information and news, and look forward to more.
Charles
So, since you think someone should mandate that each rider be paid for by someone else, how many riders would you like to sponsor?
[A public good such as bus service (or streets and highways for people who own private automobiles) is redistributive by definition. It is good policy that people who don't use a particular public good still support it for a variety of reasons. Here are a couple:
There are many public goods that I don't often utilize for which I don't mind paying my fair share. One of those is the bus system. I subsidize the bus system because I rarely use it. I also rarely utilize the national parks or rural roads. I've never taken unemployment benefits. I am glad these examples are available should I ever want or need them and I do not mind supporting them in the meantime.
It is a mistake to view a public good as someone stealing out of your pocket. This view does not imply that we should ignore efficiency. It is important that public funds are utilized to the maximum benefit. However, sometimes that maximum benefit cannot be defined by a per-rider subsidy. External effects must be taken into consideration. A Johnston resident who drives to work downtown and utilizes the free shuttle during the day is not captured by a break-even analysis of the Johnston express route. That same person may also utilize the bus to the airport for a business trip, or the State Fair shuttle, or any number of public transportation services. That same person may also enjoy going to the mall where some of the workers get to work by bus.]