Can pugs, shrubbery and nicer businesses chase away drug dealers?

I currently have the assignment to learn as much as possible about what a community can do, socially, economically and physically, to make the area outside a north side train station safer. I have been looking at a host of urban greenway projects that alter how public space is used. For the most part these focus on changing traffic patterns, beautifying a district, encouraging fancier retail or connecting existing public spaces.
The situation at this train station is-- (on the negative side) dilapidated public transit viaduct, train access to large portions of the city, proximity to Lake Shore Drive, current and historic reputation as a drug source, few residential buildings on the strip, two large footprint institutional buildings on the block, city-wide police shortage, perception of the area as not needing additional police, and retail and commercial businesses open only until 10pm. (some identified assets) train access to large portions of the city provides 24-hour pedestrian traffic, relatively high occupancy rate among storefronts, active block clubs, proximity to lakeshore parks and aldermanic willingness to discuss transforming the strip.
Very little of the literature I found concerns greenways that make an area more environmentally pleasant and discourage criminal behavior. Comment on this post if you have ideas of urban design, social programs or other tools to tackle this problem.

PARK it Like it's Hot.

It usually happens in September, but it seems like Park(ing) has become permanent in front of one San Francisco coffee/bike shop. A local San Francisco art/design/activist group called ReBar started Park(ing) Day in 2005, and for one day they 'rented' a parking space, and turned it into a park. This little parklet helped show the unbalance of open space in an urban area, as well as reclaim the space dedicated to cars and transformed it into a space that can be enjoyed by everyone. As Park(ing) Day gained popularity each year, it spread not only throughout the city, but across the nation.

A few weeks ago I stopped into Mojo Bicycle Cafe for some coffee and found construction going in front. As it turned out, the City of San Francisco had approached Mojo about reserving two parking spaces in front of the cafe that could be used for bicycle parking and more tables. Although the Panhandle, (a Central Park like strip in SF), is located just around the corner, Divizadero is a busy four lane thorough fare with an industrial feel. It might have been raining during construction of this project, but the sun sure came out for the cutting of the bow.


If you're feelin' like you need a little bit more you can find it:
HERE
HERE
HERE



Mojo Bicycle Cafe

The following Saturday, I get off BART to go to work, and found another Park(ing) Day parklet outside of a coffee shop in Oakland.! Now imagine the amount of open space we'd have when Starbucks jumps on the bandwagon...

You're going where?

"You're going WHERE?" That's the common response I received when letting friends, co-workers, family, workmates, strangers and my cat know that I'm going to Detroit for my spring break. Granted, people gave me a similar reaction when I went to Montreal during an undergrad spring break, but they didn't put "where" in all caps and question what they assumed about me. But that's what I'm doing and I'm going with more than a dozen other masters students from University of Illinois at Chicago's College of Urban Planning and Policy, so it makes more sense, since Detroit is still considered an urban setting, but, even knowing this, people still give me that reaction. Why Detroit?
When I heard about the possibility of going with our student association, I jumped at it. This will be my first visit to D-town (hopefully, since the last attempt aborted after an icy patch sent part of my car caravan sliding off the road), and all I really know are news accounts and movies. The most important movies include Action Jackson, The Crow, scant parts of the Beverly Hills Cop saga, Gran Torino, Out of Sight, Tigertown, True Romance and of course the 3 RoboCop movies.
While the movie selection is mixed, media accounts aren't nearly as kind. Take for example the Rosa Parks Transit Center. This appears like a pretty awesome architectural gem for a city who's best known building is the GM Tower, and that's only because it's shown in every bankruptcy and bailout news story. I'm pretty excited that, for once, an inter-city bus I ride will arrive at something that looks cool and doesn't remind me of Thunderdome. However, a smattering of news stories about the transit center gives me the impression I should put old issues of National Geographic in my waistband and look for materials that can be made into weapons on the megabus.
I for one favor the old Quaker adage to "expect grace and pray for mercy" whenever I encounter something new. I figure spending the night at the St. Louis bus station and the cesspool of all cesspools, the Springfield, Massachusetts bus station should have prepared me for this. They didn't even look cool. I'll just wear those same pants that got soaked in someone else's pee at the Springfield station and hope for the best. My hypothesis is that most people who wear those "I'm so tough I vacation in Detroit!" t-shirts probably thought the punk scene in Royal Oak was awesome and go to Evanston to feel the grit of a real city.
We'll see, I'll get pictures of any punctures I give or receive and will see if my hypothesis holds any water.

Planning gone bad and what's wrong with graffiti art?

The Chicago Tribune, not a very respected newspaper to begin with, posted this article the other day regarding a young graffiti artist who had jumped in the river to save his hide after being chased by police for tagging an abandoned building along an old industrial corridor in the South side of Chicago. His friends went to the building owner after his death and asked to put up a piece to dedicate to their friend, Jason Kitchekeg. The guy tags a building, gets busted, runs from the police and ends up dying. Then a memorial is placed on the building he initially tagged. Ironic, isn't it?

Vandalism to buildings such as this as often seen as increasing blight within in the neighborhood, huge scars on the community and decreasing property values in the area. The City of Chicago even offers free graffiti removal to private property owners. Yes, there are people out in the world who will vagrantly deface a property without consideration of the surrounding community or the property owner. And in some areas, it is often associated with gang activity. But urban graffiti art has transformed some neighborhoods into places where stories are told through

the art they produce.

For instance, look at graffiti art in San Francisco, particularly the Mission District or the Lower Haight neighborhoods. Or artists like Ron English who did the Obama/Lincoln propaganda campaign. His art isn't graffiti, but he did it in a guerrilla style initially, so what's the difference? And Banksy, whose work is incredibly beautiful and though provoking, also a graffiti artist turned high art? Is that what makes it ok? This site offers a great insight into modern day artists, who, with permission, are creating works of art for all to enjoy. It only ad

ds to the visual stimulation of the city. An active participation. Yes, art is in the eye of the beholder.

And this building, on 2841 S. Ashland Ave, has been vacant for a long time. So long, that in 2008, the city issued the owners a demo notice to secure the building due to past complaints. In addition, if you look at the tax collectors page of the property, it would seem that the company has not paid their taxes for 200/2009 either (however, that could be that the county is behind in updating their records). When do we decide that enough is enough and just bring the building down?

So my question is this, what causes more blight; abandoned buildings that the city has let remain vacant and unused, or the stylized art that adds a new dimension to the urban fabric we see every day? Wouldn't it be better conceived to actually make building owners pony up, secure their buildings and pay their debts or actually develop the parcel? And if they are so behind in their taxes, shouldn't the city just take the property and secure the building that they do not want tagged? And why not offer assistance with demolition? Is it really worth some kid dying for it?

Maybe if we got graffiti like this, no one would complain anymore?

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Saving Motown. The Motor City. The D.

I am intriguied with Detroit. The city has this sad, lack luster image, riddled with an affair scandal to remember, horrible public schools that teach students how to work at Walmart, a jobless rate close to 50% and the lowest annual income per resident in the United States. On top of that, the city's infrastructure is built to support 2million people, and yet only about 870,000 people lived there as of 2006. And lately, Detroit has been everywhere in the media.

That's because the Motor City has a plan. And a big one at that.

For the shrinking city, whose total land area is about 139 square miles, demolishing many of the vacant homes spread through out Detroit will help clean up the blight. Using Federal Neighborhood Stabilization money and other funds, the D plans to tear down up to 3,000 vacant houses of the 10,000 deemed too dangerous for inhabitants. That still isn't enough to take care of the other 23,000 abandoned properties within the city.

What does the city plan to do with this newly vacant land and another 91,000 vacant parcels? Farms. And lots of them. This rust-belt city is going back to its argrian roots, if residents have their way. Yes, the urban agriculture movement has already started sowing its seeds in Detroit, with small scale farms producing food for underprivaledged areas and turning the blight into bright. But now large players are moving in and bring with them ideas of huge, for-profit enterprises with residential built around them to change the landscape of this industrial city yet again. The initial investment? A cool $30million, which is more then half the amount the city expects to get from the Feds to tear down those under-served neighborhoods. Over 40 square miles are of Detroit, almost the size of San Francisco, could be turned over to farms within the next few years.

What else is the city doing to reduce blight, grow the economy and help its residents? Recently, Detroit ranked third (yes, third) in the top 5 places for Green Jobs. The Department of Energy has given grants to the state, who is funneling the funds to the failing American automobile Industry in Detroit to develop new technology for electric and hybrid cars. With over $30 billion in funds from the stimulus package for clean technology development and another $2.3billion in Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing credits, Detroit might just be developing more jobs with a little help from their friends. But these jobs are going to require more skills and higher education. A challenge for a city where 24% of the population over the age of 25 does not have a high school degree or equivalent and only 7% have a bachelor's. That would just mean more educated workers migrating to the city. And those new folks can live in the shiny new residential units built around the shiny new farms.

Innovative planning by turning Detroit in to a Green Metropolis is not going to be the catch all that saves it. But at least it is offering more incentive for people to come back into the city. I have a feeling that the D is going to experience some growing pains, for sure, but will be blowing up in the months and years to come, as long as the city continues its plan of shrinking growth. Hopefully, Motor City will not forget to invest in its human capital, as much as it is investing in its physical capital.