Whatever rises from Ground Zero, there's no question the
idea of redevelopment has spurred a rethinking of the American
city. But what will that city look like? And how will entrepreneurs
fit into it? If we look to the past, the answer to both questions
may be: better.
New York City isn't the first to be reborn from catastrophe.
Chicago hatched itself as a metropolis of stone, steel and industry
after the 1871 fire destroyed most of its wooden structures. San
Francisco's elevated Embarcadero Freeway, damaged in the 1989
earthquake, was later demolished, and what were once blocks of
urban decay have been rebuilt into a vibrant new area full of homes
and businesses. Similar developments are happening across the
country due to urban renewal, redevelopment of old industrial sites
and general rethinking of what a city is.
Some of the most intriguing ideas come from an influential and
growing group of planners, architects and developers who call
themselves New Urbanists. New Urbanists and those influenced by
them endorse cities where population demographics and land uses are
diverse, public open space is abundant, local character is
preserved and, perhaps most important, pedestrians feel at home.
"What makes a great city is that it is a walkable city,"
stresses landscape architect Bonnie Fisher, principal in San
Francisco urban design company ROMA Group.
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What future cities won't include, forward-looking planners
say, is sole reliance on the automobile for transportation. Few, if
any, large tracts of land will be zoned for single-purpose use as
offices, shops or homes. And after half a century of decreasing
population density as people have spread out to the suburbs, cities
will again be seen as attractive-and fun-places to live.
"Cities are going to be like Broadway shows," says
architect David D. Dixon, principal at Boston planning firm Goody,
Clancy & Associates. "They're going to be
entertainment-based."
| Living Legend | |
| San Francisco is probably
most cited as an exemplar of a 21st century city. It offers
distinctive local flavor in architecture, shopping and dining;
integration with unique natural resources; and a well-developed
transit system. Aside from the taxing hills, it's a good place
to walk, with many entertainment and shopping districts. Of course,
housing costs are among the country's highest, and earthquakes
are enough to keep some away. But problems aside, San Francisco is
leading the way. "This," says Boston architect David
Dixon, "is a city that is starting to move toward the 21st
century." |
In the future, you'll likely see wider sidewalks, more
sheltered and shaded spots for shoppers and strollers to rest, and
a mix of residential and business uses, including offices and
retail. Parking will tend to be on-street rather than in garages,
to separate and protect walkers from street traffic. More
businesses will be small, unique and reflective of the city's
history and climate.
Many of these one-of-a-kind restaurants, specialty retailers and
high-end service establishments will be entrepreneurial.
"Entrepreneurs will play a big role," says Dixon. Small
firms are best at creating viable businesses that can identify and
cater to the needs of sophisticated and often affluent city
dwellers, he explains. And entrepreneurs alone can provide the
particular local flavor that cities will seek, a fact the cities
themselves realize.
"When we do planning, one of the things often insisted upon
is that a portion of the retail be small, local businesses,"
says Dixon, who has worked on urban redesigns in Boston as well as
Albany, New York, and Columbus, Ohio. "Big cities and small
businesses go together better."
Still, a lot of people won't want to trade suburban space
for city excitement. "New Urbanism doesn't appeal across
the board," says Cincinnati planning consultant Frank Raeon, a
member of the San Francisco-based nonprofit Congress for the New
Urbanism. "That's why developers haven't done this on
a large-scale basis."
A specific problem is the automobile. Planners still haven't
figured out how to make cities friendly to both people and
vehicles, says Raeon. Zoning ordinances and entrenched political
opposition to the higher population density of many 21st century
city concepts also raise obstacles.
What will the future really hold? Down the road, planners may
have to consider what happens when and if something replaces the
automobile. There's also the possibility of a major, unforeseen
economic shift that drives people and businesses to or from cities,
notes Dixon.
But, jitters aside, the mood is that after September 11, a new
and more agreeable city is on the drawing board. "The central
idea of the city seems to be able to survive whatever you throw at
it-plagues, famine, fires, terrorists, you name it," says Dean
Macris, a planning consultant and former planning director for the
city of San Francisco. "Meanwhile, cities are getting better
and better at what they do. If you're a planner, you can't
help but be anything but optimistic about cities right
now."
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