Wanted to mention, I was recently in Cincinnati, OH, and was quite impressed by this development: http://www.liberty-center.com/directorymap . Think Eastwood in the sense that it was all designed by a single developer, but they did a stupendous job making it look and feel like you're in a ritzy downtown area. Notice that all the parking garages are around the perimeter, the shops are inside - and there is even streetside parking in the interior area. A couple small parks inside the development and lots of high-end condos above the shops, it was very nice.
Not sure how much pictures-from-above captures the downtown feel of the area, but here is one. I was quite impressed.
I should mention too that, even on Christmas Eve, there was a decent amount of pedestrian traffic - and I don't mean people walking from their car to a shop, but wandering around, enjoy the parks which were all decorated. It was nice.
That's a really nice example of a town center/lifestyle center, with any luck Eastwood will grow to resemble something more like it. I like how they concentrated all the public space in the middle surrounded by taller buildings, it's especially nice that they used some of the single story rooftops as park space.
Tree Rant! I know I have said that I was done ranting about the utility tree cuts, but I drove down East Mt Hope to see scores of mature 30 foot tall trees had been totally cut down on the north side of the street across from Fenner Nature Center. I hope they get done with this hack job soon it is really disturbing.I think they are being very calicoes about our trees. Meanwhile there about a dozen dead trees along Frances Park's woodland trail that really could hurt somebody.
If you want to have a little project envy check out curbed Detroit. The plans for the old Hudson's site are really cool, as are the plans for the new Piston's Practice Facility. The river walk and making Jefferson Blvd. pedestrian friendly are projects that could relate to Lansing. I think the new "Q"line light rail will be a great success even though it is only 3.3 miles long.
If you want to see some interesting photos of per-urban renewal Lansing check out the LSJ's archive pictures of the Centennial Parade in 1959. It is fun to try and pick out where the photos were taken by spotting landmarks that are still there. It is also interesting to see buildings that have been torn down, the whole downtown was so packed with small businesses all the way up Michigan Ave. It is quite a contrast to the photos of later parades in the 90's.
An interesting article in the LSJ about the fashion industry, and how it is growing here in Lansing. The Runway project is at the center of that growth and success. I find this very unexpected and really great. Lansing is very good at making things so it is a natural "fit"!
CATA has reversed itself and will be reintroducing the Williamston-Webberville Connector service, which serves the far-east part of the metro area. Service starts back in July. The connector services connects these communities to the Meridian Mall, and was funded by a county millage.
At the same time, with a federal grant running out, CATA is discontinuing it's Redi-Ride (dial-a-ride, curb-to-curb) service in Delta Township. It would cost Delta Township about $640,000 annually to save the service, and they weren't willing to ask their citizens of that.
This is just a point of interest [I hope] while traveling up to my cabin up north on US 127 I have been watching a new array of windmills being erected between Alma and Mt. Pleasent on the eastern side. They are much larger than the older array near Ithica and tower above the tree lines and fields. They make the older windmills look small! I understand that these windmills will be producing electricity that will be free and clean after the cost of building them is paid, but they really impact the scenery for quite a long way of 127, it's just a bit shocking to see these giant things, along with the giant silo farm in Ithica the landscape is being industrialized and it takes me a while to get used to it.
I'm not a fan of wind farms, they pollute the landscape. I understand that they be necessary as a stop-gap measure to reduce co2 emissions in the short term but windmills and large solar farms are not a good solution for our energy needs as their output is sporadic, they take up a ton of space and they're ugly. Solar will probably be used far into the future on roofs and walls and in other cases like solar carports, but I don't see wind being major source of power in the long run at all.
Here's to hoping the recent round of optimism about fusion proves warranted because fusion is what would really save the day.
I hope you are correct in saying perhaps they will not be there very long. They seem to have gone up very quickly and easily maybe they can come down as fast. I just went by there today and the new ones are so huge, and I have not heard anything like out east when they try to build these farms locals make a huge fuss. Here I guess the farmers are making money so their good but they sure fill the sky.
Comments
Wanted to mention, I was recently in Cincinnati, OH, and was quite impressed by this development: http://www.liberty-center.com/directorymap . Think Eastwood in the sense that it was all designed by a single developer, but they did a stupendous job making it look and feel like you're in a ritzy downtown area. Notice that all the parking garages are around the perimeter, the shops are inside - and there is even streetside parking in the interior area. A couple small parks inside the development and lots of high-end condos above the shops, it was very nice.
Not sure how much pictures-from-above captures the downtown feel of the area, but here is one. I was quite impressed.
I should mention too that, even on Christmas Eve, there was a decent amount of pedestrian traffic - and I don't mean people walking from their car to a shop, but wandering around, enjoy the parks which were all decorated. It was nice.
That's a really nice example of a town center/lifestyle center, with any luck Eastwood will grow to resemble something more like it. I like how they concentrated all the public space in the middle surrounded by taller buildings, it's especially nice that they used some of the single story rooftops as park space.
Tree Rant! I know I have said that I was done ranting about the utility tree cuts, but I drove down East Mt Hope to see scores of mature 30 foot tall trees had been totally cut down on the north side of the street across from Fenner Nature Center. I hope they get done with this hack job soon it is really disturbing.I think they are being very calicoes about our trees. Meanwhile there about a dozen dead trees along Frances Park's woodland trail that really could hurt somebody.
If you want to have a little project envy check out curbed Detroit. The plans for the old Hudson's site are really cool, as are the plans for the new Piston's Practice Facility. The river walk and making Jefferson Blvd. pedestrian friendly are projects that could relate to Lansing. I think the new "Q"line light rail will be a great success even though it is only 3.3 miles long.
If you want to see some interesting photos of per-urban renewal Lansing check out the LSJ's archive pictures of the Centennial Parade in 1959. It is fun to try and pick out where the photos were taken by spotting landmarks that are still there. It is also interesting to see buildings that have been torn down, the whole downtown was so packed with small businesses all the way up Michigan Ave. It is quite a contrast to the photos of later parades in the 90's.
An interesting article in the LSJ about the fashion industry, and how it is growing here in Lansing. The Runway project is at the center of that growth and success. I find this very unexpected and really great. Lansing is very good at making things so it is a natural "fit"!
CATA has reversed itself and will be reintroducing the Williamston-Webberville Connector service, which serves the far-east part of the metro area. Service starts back in July. The connector services connects these communities to the Meridian Mall, and was funded by a county millage.
At the same time, with a federal grant running out, CATA is discontinuing it's Redi-Ride (dial-a-ride, curb-to-curb) service in Delta Township. It would cost Delta Township about $640,000 annually to save the service, and they weren't willing to ask their citizens of that.
This is just a point of interest [I hope] while traveling up to my cabin up north on US 127 I have been watching a new array of windmills being erected between Alma and Mt. Pleasent on the eastern side. They are much larger than the older array near Ithica and tower above the tree lines and fields. They make the older windmills look small! I understand that these windmills will be producing electricity that will be free and clean after the cost of building them is paid, but they really impact the scenery for quite a long way of 127, it's just a bit shocking to see these giant things, along with the giant silo farm in Ithica the landscape is being industrialized and it takes me a while to get used to it.
I'm not a fan of wind farms, they pollute the landscape. I understand that they be necessary as a stop-gap measure to reduce co2 emissions in the short term but windmills and large solar farms are not a good solution for our energy needs as their output is sporadic, they take up a ton of space and they're ugly. Solar will probably be used far into the future on roofs and walls and in other cases like solar carports, but I don't see wind being major source of power in the long run at all.
Here's to hoping the recent round of optimism about fusion proves warranted because fusion is what would really save the day.
I hope you are correct in saying perhaps they will not be there very long. They seem to have gone up very quickly and easily maybe they can come down as fast. I just went by there today and the new ones are so huge, and I have not heard anything like out east when they try to build these farms locals make a huge fuss. Here I guess the farmers are making money so their good but they sure fill the sky.