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Detroit’s Decline as an Opportunity

Daniella October 06, 2009 decline 14 Comments

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Detroit Decay by Flickr user x3nomik

Detroit Decay by Flickr user x3nomik

Time Magazine this month is focusing on Detroit – why the city is in decline, what it is like to live there now, and what can be done to make life better for residents who are still there.

I’m not going to lie. I find Detroit’s decline truly fascinating. Home of the mythical $1,000 house (Wait! Make that the mythical $100 house!!!), Detroit is attracting artists and people seeking community-based rather than job-based lifestyles.

At the same time, what Detroit has become is appalling. Time has some amazing photo essays that depict the state of once gorgeous historic buildings. The photo I found most shocking was … Continue Reading

Can Walmart Anchor Transit-Oriented Development?

Daniella September 02, 2009 transit oriented development 2 Comments

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Amity Gardens Shopping Center, 2007 via Groceteria

Amity Gardens Shopping Center, 2007 via Groceteria

Amity Gardens Shopping Center was a popular shopping center in Charlotte, NC, during the 1950s. Now, the blighted strip mall is slated to be bulldozed and replaced with a Walmart with the hopes of revitalizing the area.

According to Groceteria:
The Winn-Dixie at Charlotte’s Amity Gardens Shopping Center opened in November of 1958, right in the middle of the most thriving retail strip in the city. The center also included Woolworth’s and a Barclay Cafeteria. By 1961, it also included Charlotte’s first (and only) branch of Clark’s, an early “supercenter” with both general merchandise and groceries.

Winn-Dixie, 3830 East Independence Boulevard, Charlotte. Photo courtesy Pat Richardson via Groceteria

… Continue Reading

Hard times’ silver lining for urban heritage and polka fans

Vanessa March 18, 2009 Economic Development Comments Off

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Mike’s post about silver linings to bad economic times struck a chord in my mind.  One upside, as he pointed out, can be necessary structural change. A second kind of silver lining might be the preservation of buildings or land uses that in good times would be uneconomical.  These could be valuable for cultural, community or heritage reasons.

Maybe I am just feeling philosophical because I spent the evening attending St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Gastown. This well loved heritage district in Vancouver has plenty of character, and is home to architecture dating mostly from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This makes it one of the oldest neighbourhoods in an absurdly young city.

Gastown photo by Sea Turtle

Gastown photo by Sea Turtle

From the 1930s to the 1960s, … Continue Reading