East Lansing's park district: downtowns are too valuable to leave to market forces alone
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EmailMlive Editor's note: MLive asked two urban planners what they would envision for the Park District Project on the west end of East Lansing's downtown.
Published: October 14, 2013
By: Mlive.com
Editor's note: MLive asked two urban planners what they would envision for the Park District Project on the west end of East Lansing's downtown. The next charrette, or community meeting to discuss the project's design, is from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16, at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum. It's free and open to the public. Read the essays, get your creative juices flowing and join MLive and others at Wednesday's charrette!
By Zenia Kotval
When asked what I would envision for East Lansing's Downtown Park District project, a healthy mix of uses that would include housing, retail, dining and specialty places like galleries and artist studios came to mind easily. However, what’s needed is more, much more, than a simple mixed-use development. East Lansing needs something unique and special. A signature project!
If I were Czar for the day, what would I want to see? Beyond a mix of uses, I would want to create a Sense of Place with a Raison d'être!
• Significant architectural character and greater density: I’m not talking about skyscrapers, but we could certainly accommodate four- to six-story buildings that were architecturally significant with carefully planned spaces for people interaction.
I would envision mixed uses in every building with special attention to street-level aesthetics and the creation of live/work/show/perform spaces on the upper floors. Downtowns that have a strong market-rate housing component are healthier as these residents provide a ready consumer base for downtown merchants. The idea would be carefully created indoor and outdoor spaces with people as the focus.
• Importance of arts and culture: Creativity does play a central role in the regeneration of downtown districts; successful downtowns have a stronger presence of artistic people.
Artists, musicians, sculptors, entrepreneurs of all types, create different and changing environments. These creative environments draw people who are looking for something different, and have money to spend. The theme here is a changing scene where the district is an outdoor stage for multiple acts. A place to pause; to strike up a conversation; or just to enjoy the ambiance.
• The notion of time: Downtown districts need to be active from early morning to late at night. The district needs to meet the needs of multiple publics such as the 7 a.m. cup of coffee and newspaper client, the 10 a.m. senior stroller, the business lunch crowd, the 3 p.m. school kids, the 5 p.m. shoppers of necessity goods, the 7 p.m. family-oriented clientele, and the 10 p.m. cocktail circuit. A place that is alive and vibrant 16 hours a day!
• The quest for uniqueness, specialty and cachet: This would be the overarching theme: Something unique and special! With the rise of online shopping and catalogues, people are looking for a shopping-plus experience. A visit to a mix of eclectic shops and restaurants, to a small theater or movie house showing different films or just a gathering spot to watch the activities of the day unfold.
Our downtowns districts are too valuable to leave to market forces alone. They are the center of civic functions, home to our local history and often, our traditional market place; they deserve to have special treatment. This includes strong marketing assistance, special financial programs, and strong public private partnerships. They require creating design assistance programs, flexible zoning provisions and parking requirements and even applying for grants to assist local merchants.
These special places deserve extra attention!
Zenia Kotval is a professor and at Michigan State University's School of Planning Design and Construction.
http://www.mlive.com/lansing-news/index.ssf/2013/10/east_lansings_park_district_pr.html
