Parkly - Transforming Urban Spaces’ Post

Downtown Revitalization ++ [placonomic ideas = planning and economic] "William Whyte’s insights about what attracts people to small urban places are more important than ever. - he sought to understand why some places foster vibrant urban life, while others seem to erode it. - A wiser strategy is to make a place attractive and open, since bad actors thrive in emptiness. “The best way to handle the problem of undesirables is to make a place more inviting,” Whyte wrote. https://lnkd.in/e7g5cFi3 Elements for City Implementation: *providing ample, pleasant places to sit *movable chairs are good *creating inviting public spaces *promoting pedestrian friendly environments *encouraging local businesses to interact with the sidewalk activity

This is the story of every town… our identity is associated with the downtown - not subdivisions and new commercial district off the interstate. A thriving and beautiful downtown is a thriving city. This is why ideas from Strong Towns, Revitalize, or Die., and Main Street America are so important. It’s also why facade grants and rehabilitated downtown buildings are so critical to the life of a city.

In his opinion piece, Michael Deemer, JD, LPM, President & CEO, Downtown Cleveland, Inc. discusses how downtown Cleveland has become a model for urban revitalization. He emphasizes that a successful region relies on a strong core. A vibrant core begins with a clean, safe, and attractive environment combined with compelling pedestrian experiences. Learn more about the strategies and initiatives that have set Downtown Cleveland up for success in the linked article below. #DTCLE https://lnkd.in/gvJ_-kHf

Many problems in the urbanism realm boil down to people having different ideas of what a city is and what purpose it has. To be an effective advocate, you need to make sure you and the people you’re talking to are on the same page. So, what is a city, anyway? Is it a transactional space that sustains our individual pursuits of happiness and national economy? Or is it living ecosystem in which people collaborate to provide solutions for their needs? Your answer to that question will make all the difference.

Alright Chicagoans. I have been talking about Chicago with many recently and a theme has come to mind -  We are like the team you love - all the right players, the right facilities and what should be a championship team, but that same team is playing not to lose instead of to win. NYC is playing to win - win the future of urban living - taking congestion (large costs - productivity mainly) and turning it into an opportunity to invest in the future (funds go to public transit). Even places like ....wait...HOUSTON is having a vision! WTF. Where are the engaged Chicagoans who want to speak up about pedestrian streets, bike lanes, and quality of life measures? While this is a business forum more than politics (should stay that way), we really need the Chicago business community to start having some imagination on what this city can be. We have the infrastructure in place, we have the density, the cultural institutions, the lakefront and the food. Can't we start leveraging that foundation and look ahead? Shit, even a car centric place like Houston is starting to understand quality of life issues matter. https://lnkd.in/gyDFuyyU

More of this! The fundamentals are here. Let’s all get more engaged and change the narrative.

Tour any historic city and you’ll see land being used in many ways all at once—a storefront or professional office facing the street, an apartment upstairs, and maybe a workshop in the back. Modern zoning sought to bring order to this chaos, prescribing what parts of town were best suited for each individual purpose. But it didn’t work. That’s why mixed-use developments are now trending. These projects buck the vision laid out in zoning maps, instead creating properties where people can live, work, shop, play, and access services. https://hubs.ly/Q02GmgKB0

Green Spaces & the Mind ++ [city planning] Olmsted believed that green spaces were essential for promoting mental well-being and providing respite from the hustle and bustle of urban life. He saw parks and green spaces as places where people could connect with nature, relax, and rejuvenate their minds. Olmsted believed that green spaces could inspire people to look forward in life in a positive way. By creating beautiful and well-designed parks, he sought to uplift the spirits of city-dwellers and motivate them to engage with the world around them. Olmsted understood the power of green spaces to stimulate creativity, foster a sense of community, and encourage individuals to envision a better future. City Tactic: Enhance Green Spaces!

The city of West Palm Beach and surrounding communities in north Palm Beach County is on an extraordinary growth and expansion trajectory that is going to astonish residents and onlookers alike!! This small city of 150,000 residents is going to grow to a population exceeding 1,000,000 and become the "go to city" for college graduates from around the USA seeking to build their careers, families and prosperous lifestyles. Major real estate developers like Steve Ross, Jeff Greene, Charles Cohen, David Martin, Jorge Perez, Ken Griffen, Donald Trump and others have already invested $ billions and the article in "Florida of Tomorrow" below describes six projects currently under development which are transforming various areas surrounding the downtown West Palm Beach core. The wealth and demographic transfer coming into South Florida from NY, NJ, MA, PA, IL, CA and internationally is expanding real estate development, family offices, private equity, hedge funds, wealth management and healthcare and are economic engines that drive thousands of downline businesses and sustain economic growth. This growth and wealth trend has the momentum to last for decades!!