an american renaissance: the rebirth of urban living and america’s downtowns

8/10/2019 An American Renaissance: The rebirth of urban living and Americas downtowns

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N AMERICANRENAISSANCEThe rebirth of urban livingand Americas downtowns

B Y D U S T I N T Y L E R J O Y C E


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ANAMERICAN RENAISSANCE | DUSTINTYLERJOYCE | PAGE 2

[Houstons] downtown business area is made up almost entirely of high-rise office buildings and large

department stores, with a few smaller restaurants to refuel the denizens of both, but nobody lives there.

K.SALE,1975

(Sohmer & Lang, 2001, p. 1)

I N T R O D U C T I O N

URING THE FALL 2005SEMESTER, I studied urban planning and human geography at Radboud

Universiteit Nijmegen in The Netherlands. On a wintry day toward the end of my stay in

Holland, I traveled all the way across the countrya whopping hour-and-a-half drivefrom

Nijmegen, on the border with Germany, to the historic city of Delft, between The Hague and Rotterdam. I

was riding with two members of a familyfather and sonwho were going to install a new kitchen for their

daughter and sister, and I had offered a helping hand.

To get from Nijmegen to Delft, it is necessary to take the A50 and A15 motorways across the country

and through Rotterdam. The entry into Rotterdam is impressive. After crossing a bridge over the Nieuwe

Mass, the waterway that connects the port to the sea, Rotterdams skyline and the cityscape spread before you.

Upon seeing this sightan ultramodern jungle of skyscrapers where old-world Europe meets the North Sea

the son, sitting next to me, stretched out his hands and in a thick Dutch accent proclaimed, LITTLE

AMERICA!

And so it seemed. See, prior to World War II, Rotterdams city center was a large, dense collection of

quaint Dutch buildings lining cobblestone streets and centuries-old canals. At the beginning of the war, the

GermanLuftwaffeblitzed the city and reduced the entire city center to rubble. Barely a building was left

standing.

D


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Rotterdam, of course, was not the only European city to suffer such a bombing. But Rotterdams

response in rebuilding was unique. Rather than reconstruct what was there before, Rotterdam decided to

build a completely new city center, and it followed a North American model. Today, Rotterdamscentrumis

filled with warehouses and docks and modern shopping areas. These mingle with modern high-rise office

towers, apartment blocks, and hotels and are crisscrossed by busy streets and numerous streetcar and subway

lines. Surrounding its extensive portthe second busiest in the worldand stretching for several kilometers

along the mouth of the Rhine to the North Sea coast, Rotterdam is unlike almost any other place in Europe.

It truly is like a piece of America in the heart of Europe.

North Americas urban areas are unique among the cities of the world. They are young, new, modern,

and forward-looking, and at their hearts futuristic skyscrapersAmericas greatest gift to the world of

architecturepoint heavenward, testaments of profound ingenuity, wealth, and pride. Every North American

city of any consequence, it seems, has a skyline that serves as its signature. New Yorks Empire State Building,

Chicagos Sears Tower, San Franciscos Transamerica Pyramid, and Seattles Space Needle are instantly

recognizable to almost anyone. When I return to my hometown, the hundreds of lighted aluminum spires

atop Bank of Americas headquarters tell me Im in a familiar place. Even local television news stations use

images of their cities skylines to indicate that theyre in touch with their communities.

Yet beginning with the end of the Second World War, most Americans became increasingly out of

touch with the hearts of the cities they called hometheir downtowns. This was due to a complex

combination of cultural, economic, and political reasons ranging from federal acts establishing the Federal

Housing Administration to the pursuit of the ever-elusive American Dream. Almost all of Americas

downtowns suffered; some died.

But now we are seeing an unprecedented rebirth of urban living which is bringing lifeand lots of

itback to the hearts of the nations cities. Americans are flocking by the thousands to the downtowns of

cities large and small across the continent, and theyre carrying their homes, their livelihoods, their families,

their dreams, and their money with them. Theyre doing it without financial or political compulsiontheyre

making a choice for themselves, their children, and future generations. They are fueling an American

renaissance.

WHATS GOING ON? A REBIRTH

On the rise

Downtown Rising is a new Web site sponsored by the Salt Lake Chamber (2006), the Downtown Alliance of

Salt Lake City, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and other local businesses, organizations, civic


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groups, and similar entities working to promote investment in and improve downtown Salt Lake City. The

sites homepage proclaims:

SALT LAKEON THE RISE

Downtown Salt Lake City is on the rise. Thanks to a very strong economy, attractive

business fundamentals and visionary business leaders, more than $1.5 billion will be invested

in a ten-block area downtown during the next five years. This historic investment will

transform the city skyline and shape Utahs capital city for decades to come.

Other pages on the site list some of the projects announced, underway, or recently completed in Salt

Lake Citys central business district:

222 South Main,a 21-story, 430,000-square-

foot office tower.

City Creek Center, the redevelopment of the

Crossroads Plaza andZCMICenter malls,

currently the largest single project planned for

downtown Salt Lake and being undertaken by the

malls owner, The Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints.

The Fidelity Investments Building,a new 7-

story, 230,000-square-foot office building at The

Gateway, the mixed-use shopping, entertainment,

residential, and office complex on downtown Salt

Lake Citys west side.

Gateway Olympic Plaza,a two-story, 78,000-

square-foot expansion of retail and other

commercial space at The Gateway, overlooking the

complexs Olympic Legacy Plaza and fountain.

Discovery Gateway, the relocated Childrens

Museum of Utah which opened in September

2006 at The Gateway.

The Intermodal Hub,a multimodal

transportation center just south of The Gateway

that will bring togetherUTA TRAXlight rail, UTA

FrontRunner commuter rail, UTAlocal and

regional buses, Greyhound intercity buses, Amtrak

intercity trains, and taxi and other commuter

services all in one place. The new Greyhound

terminal has already been completed, and TRAX

will be expanded along 400 West and 200 South

to connect the Intermodal Hub to downtown and

the rest of the Salt Lake Valley.

The Leonardo, a one-of-a-kind art, culture and

science center that will be built in the renovated

old Salt Lake City Main Library.

Expansion of the Salt Palace Convention

Center,which will expand the facility by 40

percent by adding 515,000 square feet of exhibit

space, 164,000 square feet of meeting space, and

66 meeting rooms.

A new federal courthouse.

The Metro Condominiumswith 117 residential

units.

LDSBusiness College and the BYUSalt Lake

Centerand their new campus at the Triad

Center are a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of


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Latter-day Saints redevelopment plans for

downtown Salt Lake City.

The Plaza Hotelnow houses womens dormitories

as a part ofLDSBusiness Colleges move.

The Church History Library of The Church of

Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintswill house

much of the Churchs archives and increase

accessibility to them for researchers, scholars, and

the public.

The Zions Bank Tower, formerly the Gateway

Tower East, has been completely renovated inside

and out and renamed as the permanent

headquarters of Zions Bank.

(Salt Lake Chamber, 2006)

Spreading across the continent

Salt Lake City is not the only American city experiencing such tremendous growth in its urban core. D.

Smith, development columnist for The Charlotte Observerin North Carolina, recently wrote an article, The

future of uptown, discussing the many changes occurring in the citys central business district. While

describing a project Wachovia, the nations fourth largest bank, is constructing next to its global headquarters

in Charlotte, Smith (2006) states:

Charlotte Center City Partners says that based on projects in the works, the center city

populationabout 11,000 todaycould exceed 21,000 by 2010.

Wachovia Corp. plans a 30- to 35-story condo tower as part of the land its

redeveloping on Tryon between Stonewall and First streets with a 46-story office building.

That project, to be finished in 2009, includes two museums, a performing arts

theater and Wake Forest Universitys business school plus the Afro-American Cultural Center

directly across Tryon.

The residential tower is expected to include 250 to 280 units.

Even Oklahoma City, in the very heartland of the continent, is experiencing a downtown

renaissance of sorts. The resurgence of its city center was noted byThe Economistthis past summer. In an

article entitled Urban revivalNever mind the quality, see the length: New hope, and the longest stretch of

bronze artwork in the world, The Economist(2006) describes:

It is not exactly Venice. But 11 years after the bombing of the federal building at its heart,

once-drab Oklahoma City is mounting a comeback. Cities across the heartland are

pumping resources into their downtowns, but Oklahomas effort seems more pronounced

than most.

The newspaper then goes on to describe a new, seven-mile long Oklahoma River with regattas and

water taxis and lined with new development. There is a new ballpark for the citys minor-league team, new


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condos, and new hotels. And a new series of sculptures that eventually will rank as the longest stretch of

bronze artwork in the world.

The numbers tell the story

In the paper Who Lives Downtown, E. L. Birch (2005) compared the growth patterns in a methodically

chosen sample of American cities during the thirty-year period from 1970 to 2000 by studying official census

data. Among the findings, Birch notes the following:

During the 1990s, downtown population grew by 10 percent, a marked resurgence

following 20 years of overall decline. Forty percent of the sample cities began to see growth

before the 1990s. While only New Yorks two downtown areas and Seattle, Los Angeles, and

San Diego saw steady increases from 1970 to 2000, another 13 downtowns have experienced

sustained growth since the 1980s. (p. 1)

A representative sample of one major city from each of the four regions into which Birch divided the

country for the analysisNortheast, South, Midwest, and Westeffectively illustrates what has occurred in

American downtowns over the past thirty years and the accelerating rate at which downtowns are now

growing. (Please note that not every city in Birchs sample follows precisely the same trends these four cities

demonstrate; these cities do, however, illustrate well what is happening generally across the nation.)

Downtown population

City Region 1970 1980 1990 2000

Boston Northeast 79,382 77,025 77,253 80,903

Atlanta South 23,985 18,734 19,763 24,931

Chicago Midwest 52,248 50,630 56,048 72,843

San Francisco West 34,999 28,311 32,906 43,531

In the case of each of these cities, downtown lost population between 1970 and 1980during the

years the opening quote of this paper was written. In each case, during the 1980s downtown population grew,

but in the 1990s that growth kicked into high gear, at least doubling the growth rate of the 1980s in every

citys central business district. The following table illustrates:

Change in downtown populationCity Region 1970-1980 1980-1990 1990-2000

Boston Northeast -2,357 -3.0% +228 +0.3% +3,650 +4.7%

Atlanta South -5,251 -21.9% +1,029 +5.5% +5,168 +26.1%

Chicago Midwest -1,618 -3.1% +5,418 +10.7% +16,795 +30.0%

San Francisco West -6,688 -19.1% +4,595 +16.2% +10,625 +32.3%

(p. 5)


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No matter how you look at it, or from where, Americas downtowns are staging a comeback. As a

nation, we are returning to our historic urban centers with more excitementand more moneythan ever

before. The breadth and scope of the projects described above in Salt Lake, Charlotte, and Oklahoma City are

impressive. These are not just concrete, glass, and steel office towers and related infrastructure. These are

landmark civic buildings, museums and libraries, universities, and, perhaps most importantly, housing. No

nine-to-five here. This is about restoring life and vitality to Americas most important, yet forgotten, urban

places. And, its not all about money (though the money helps). Its about a changing culture and changes in

what our culture cares about.

In short, a renaissance of downtown, urban living in America is occurring, and its the result of a

major shift in our societys thinking about ourselves, our cities, and the entire world around us.

THE IDEA OF DOWNTOWN:A UNIQUE CULTURAL PHENOMENON

In understanding what is occurring across America, it is important to understand the distinction between

urbanareas and those places we really should considersuburban. Though all the differences are numerous and

complex, within present constraints one sufficiently begins to comprehend the distinction via reference to a

dictionary. The onlineDictionary.com(2006) describes the adjective urban as of, pertaining to, or

designating a city or town, while the noun suburb is explained as a district lying immediately outside a

city or town, esp. a smaller residential community.

Here, the definitions are geographical and qualitative, rather than political or legal. Hence an area or

neighborhood may be located within the corporate boundaries of a large, populous municipality and yet still

besuburban. For example, politically and legally an area may be within the City(orurban area) of Los

Angeles, but geographically and qualitatively share much more in common with asuburb. In fact, according to

many urban planners, many of Americas urban areas would better be described as suburban areas.

The following description further illustrates the limited geographic scope of the areas we are

discussing:

Since the rise of cities 8,000 years ago, humans have only wanted to walk about 1500 feet

until they begin looking for an alternative means of transport: a horse, a trolley, a bicycle, or

a car. This distance translates into about 160 acresabout the size of a super regional mall,

including its parking lot. It is also about the size, plus or minus 25 percent, of Lower

Manhattan, downtown Albuquerque, the Rittenhouse Square section of Philadelphia, the


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financial district of San Francisco, downtown Atlanta, and most other major downtowns in

the country. (Leinberger, 2005, p. 1)

Because of this qualitative and geographical distinction, studying and discussing the resurgence and

growth of the nations downtowns require an examination that goes beyond deference to statistics concerning

the growth of major American cities in general. However, it is should be noted that the importance of

downtowns stems from the role they play as the centers of the nations 361 metropolitan areas. Concerning

these regions, the Council for the New American City of the United States Conference of Mayors produces a

series of reports called U.S. Metro Economies. These reports track the nations gross metropolitan product, the

portion of the United States gross domestic product produced within metropolitan regions86.3 percent, or

$10.1 trillion of the $11.734 trillion GDP, in 2004 (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2004). Yet even in the light of

these impressive statistics, perhaps the most significant statement in the U.S. Metro Economiesseries is found on

the cover of each report: GMPThe Engines of Americas Growth (Global Insight, 2004, cover page). In

short, Americas metropolitan areas are important because they are the strength of the nations economyand

Americas downtowns are important because they are the business, political, and cultural centers of these

metropolitan areas.

Downtownoccupies a unique position in American and, indeed, world culture. Referring to a citys

central business district as downtown is almost exclusive to North America. On the contrary, in other

English-speaking countries central business districts are frequently called city centres and, as such, hold a

different position within the urban and general culture. The termdowntownwas coined in New York City,

where residents referred to the emerging business district at the southern end of Manhattan Island as

downtown because of its geographical location. Even though today the same area is generally referred to as

the Financial District, New Yorkers still use the terms downtown, midtown, and uptown to label areas of

their city, to give directions, and to ride the subway. In the meantime, the use of the termdowntownto refer to

the business, cultural, and political center of a city stuck, and today cities large and small across the United

States and Canada have downtowns which are usually the locations of the cities highest-priced land, densest

areas, and tallest buildings. (Downtown, 2006)

A RENAISSANCE ANDA BROAD CULTURAL SHIFT

From Platos The Republicto Jane Jacobss The Death and Life of Great American Cities, philosophers and

policymakers have made proposals as to how best to build cultures and their urban areas. Those examining the

current renaissance in urban living in America are certainly no exception.


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Of note are two thinkers who have written papers for the Metropolitan Policy Program of The

Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. In 1999, J. Moulton, a fellow with the American Institute of

Architects, proposed Ten Steps to a Living Downtown. In 2005, C. B. Leinberger proposed twelve steps in

the paper Turning Around Downtown: Twelve Steps to Revitalization. Their proposals included these

steps:

Ten Steps to

a Living Downtown

. Moulton,FAIA, 1999

Turning Around Downtown:

Twelve Steps to Revitalization

Christopher B. Leinberger, 2005

1. Housing must be downtowns political and

business priority.

2. Downtown must be legible.

3. Downtown must be accessible.

4. Downtown must have new and improved

regional amenities.

5. Downtown must be clean and safe.

6. Downtown must preserve and reuse old

buildings.

7. Downtown regulations must be streamlined and

support residential growth.

8. City resources should be devoted to housing.

9. The edge of downtown should be surrounded by

viable neighborhoods.

10. Downtown is never done.

(p. 4)

1. Capture the vision.

2. Develop a strategic plan.

3. Forge a healthy private/public partnership.

4. Make the right thing easy.

5. Establish business improvement districts and

other nonprofits.

6. Create a catalytic development company.

7. Create and urban entertainment district.

8. Develop a rental housing market.

9. Pioneer an affordability strategy.

10. Focus on for-sale housing.

11. Develop a local-serving retail strategy.

12. Re-create a strong office market.

(p. 4)

Interestingly, around the same time Leinbergers paper was being written and released by The

Brookings Institution, those involved in crafting Salt Lake CitysDowntown Risingvision were also

formulating twelve steps, or core principles, to follow in revitalizing the central business district of Utahs

capital. Thus, the Salt Lake Chambers (2006)Downtown Risingplan becomes a pertinent model for

examining how closely real-life approaches to the urban renaissance follow theoretical projections. The core

principles of Salt LakesDowntown Risingvision plan with correlating steps in Moultons and Leinbergers

theories are below:


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Salt Lakes Downtown Rising

Core Principles

Correlating steps

Moulton Leinberger

9 | Nature

Downtown contributes to a healthy environment by striving to develop

environmentally efficient buildings, districts and public spaces. Downtown absorbs

growth, helping to conserve critical lands and water, and improve air quality.

10 | People

Downtown welcomes everyone and offers people the chance to meet, interact and live

with others who may be different from themselves.

11 | Security

Downtown provides a safe and clean environment for everyone.

5

12 | Future-Minded

Downtown is a leading metropolitan center, with forward-thinking and tech-smartideas and infrastructure that enables [sic] the city, region and state to prosper.

10

Observations

In comparing Moultons and Leinbergers suggestions and the plan of action proposed by Salt Lakes

Downtown Risingvision, several observations can be made.

1 | A comparison of the three documents indicates the status of Salt Lakes revitalization.

First, Salt Lake Citys newly-writtenDowntown Risingplan clearly reflects, in both tone and actual points of

action, Leinbergers 2005 proposal more so than Moultons 1999 thesis. In other words, Salt Lake Cityscurrent downtown revitalization effort represents the latest thinking in planning central business districts and

other urban spaces in North America and around the world. Further, it reflects a mix of needsindicative of a

downtown at a certain, more advanced stage in its developmentrather than a focus on building up a critical

mass of one element, such as housing or office space, which would act as a necessary foundation for other

plans. Indeed, Salt Lakes downtown revitalization is advanced enough that city leaders, developers, and the

public can demand things that are more than basics. These things include educational, arts, and cultural

facilities; quality design in planning and architecture; and ecologically-minded development that protects the

natural environmentitems which, notably, are without apparent corollaries in both Moultons andLeinbergers work. Both of these earlier theses are geared toward communities at a more rudimentary point in

their downtown revitalization efforts.

2 | Ideas about downtown have evolved, even in the past ten years.For example, at least four of

the ten steps Moulton suggested in 1999 focus on residential development. Other, more basic elements fill up

the remaining ten steps, including basic ideas about a downtowns legibility, the basic need for a downtown


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to be safe and clean, and the reminder that a downtown is never done. On the other hand, among

Leinbergers twelve steps there are, at most, three that focus on residential development, and one of these

namely, the creation of an affordability strategycan apply as equally to downtown business growth and

other areas as it can to housing. Additionally, as stated in the point above, Salt Lakes new plan for its

downtown clearly correlates more with Leinbergers later paper, further evidence that these ideas have

changed in recent years. One can only assume that these ideas will continue to evolve.

3 | In all three theories/plans of action, there is little emphasis on money and the economics

of downtown. Instead, greater emphasis is placed on the emotion and even the morality of urban

life.Take as a prime example Leinbergers fourth step: Make the right thing easy.

4 | Altogether, this represents a shift in our overall culture.Indeed, this may indicate a really

big shift in our society, from the post-World War II, baby boomer, suburban, car-centered culture to a neo-

urban society. Leinberger nicely summarizes this broad, major shift in the introduction to his twelve steps:

The fact that many downtown have experienced such growth and developmentin spite of

zoning laws spurring suburban sprawl and real estate and financial industries that dont

understand how to build and finance alternativesis testament to the emotion commitment

to our urban heritage and the pent-up consumer demand for walkable, vibrant places in

which to live and work. (p. 1)

C O N C L U S I O N

WE HAVE A CHOICE

As the United States rapidly approaches a milestone in its history300 million residentsThe Christian

Science Monitorhas been running a special series on this important event and the impact Americas changing

demographics will have on the nation and its future. In the series fourth installment, entitled How American

grows: A tale of two cities and which ran on Tuesday, 3 October, B. Knickerbocker and D. B. Wood explore

how two very different citiesGilbert, Arizona, and Portland, Oregonapproach the challenges of growth

and how their reactions typify a growing divergence in American city planning.

Gilbert is a suburb of Phoenix. In 1970, Gilberts population was less than 2,000. In 2005 its

population was an estimated 178,539a 511.7% increase since 1990. Where do all those new residents live?In sprawling suburban communities that have been staked out one after another, according to a source

quoted in the article, with no time for comprehensive planning. The new subdivisions are evidence of the

some 6,000 acres of open space that the United States losesevery dayto development. Thats a rate of 4 acres

every minute.


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What do these neighborhoods look and feel like? Knickerbocker and Wood cite J. Butler, the director

of the Arizona Real Estate Center at Arizona State University: I have a theory that if they dropped you at eye

level into any of these towns, you couldnt tell the difference. Gilbert really is no different from [the nearby

towns of] Chandler and Mesa. The homes look alike, the SUVs look alike, they all have a Costco. The authors

also tell the story of one resident who had a 54-mile commute to workone way.

Then theres Portland. Portland doesnt have the wide open spaces of Arizona, state Knickerbocker

and Wood. [I]ts hemmed in by the Columbia River on one side and well-established suburbs on the

othersthe citys growth possibilities are limited. It has chosen to follow the other vision for UStowns and

cities: urban revitalization.

Knickerbocker and Wood continue:

The best known effort is in the Pearl District, a downtown former warehouse area thats

being transformed into condos and apartments, often built above retail shops, galleries, and

other businesses and offices, with transit facilities, grocery stores, parks, and other amenities

nearby.

Weve worked really hard to design our city so that density is viewed as an amenity

as opposed to a detraction from our livability, says [city commissioner S.] Adams. Building

around public transit, including light rail and modern street cars, has been one of the most

important aspects here.

Theres no question about it: building a livable, comfortable, human-scale, quality urban community

takes workhard work, as Portland city commissioner Adams pointed out. Perhaps it is the lack of ease in

this model, the added ounces of ingenuity necessary, andperhaps above allthe extra initial cost that have

caused Americans to choose Gilberts suburbs-and-sprawl for decades. As recently as 2004, the article inThe

Christian Science Monitorpoints out, a surveye conducted by the National Association of Realtors and Smart

Growth America showed that only 13 percent of Americans wanted to live in anurbanarea, versus more than

half51 percent, in factwho wanted to live in asuburbanarea, while 35 percent desired arurallifestyle.

Further, it is apparent that there is a severe lack of understanding of cities and urban areas. Take, for

example, the Gilbert resident with the 54-miles-one-way commute. Knickerbocker and Wood asked: Has the

family found a sense of community here? He pauses before answering: Not yet. If anything, that is one of the

hardest things for us. In California, everything was at our fingertipsrestaurants, shops, entertainment. We

really miss that a lot. Wait. Since when was acommunityor a sense thereof about eating out, buying stuff,

and being entertained? I thought it was about peopleand so doesDictionary.com. Such a twisted

understanding of a basic concept is the result of years of societal and cultural programmingAmerican, but

misguided and anti-urban.


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Ultimately, however, it comes down to a question of choice and of the future. The article in closing

states: Thats the challenge for places like Gilbert trying to maintain community as its population soars. And

over the coming decades, experts wonder whether this kind of growth, based on the automobile, is

sustainable.

J. Kotkin, a demographic trend-watcher interviewed by Knickerbocker and Wood for their article,

sees the alternative to the Gilbert model this way: The other way is to try and become like Europe, stop

having babies and stop having immigrants, and become kind of a museum society. That is not in the nature

of Americans.

No, that is not in the nature of Americans, and its not the only alternative. Whatisin the nature of

Americans, however, is an excellent intelligence, remarkable foresight, and the willingness and the ability to

come up with creative solutions to the countrys challenges and to meet our wants and needs. And clearly the

pronounced shift that has begun to occur in our thinking and living as a nationand which is coming to

fruition in our downtownsis a significant outward manifestation of that change.

Yet even more than a change, its a choicea choice about ourselves, about our children, and about

our cities. The rebirth of our cities and our downtowns is, in the end, the rebirth of ourselves and our nation.

It is the American renaissance.

Its the new conventional wisdom: After 50 years of decline, American cities have been reborn as safe and exciting

places, certainly to visit if not to live. Urban crime and unemployment rates are at their lowest since the early 1970s.

City budgets once on the brink of collapse are routinely balanced. Downtowns left for dead now sport gleaming new

stadiums, convention halls, entertainment centers, and residential complexes. The landscape of urban neighborhoods is

changing as high-rise public housing comes down, entrepreneurs discover neglected markets, and the decades-old

restorative work of community development corporations and local churches bears fruit.

There is much to celebrate in cities across the country. There is much to build on for the future.

B.KATZ,1998


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Urban revival

Never mind the quality, see the length

OKLAHOMA CITY

New hope, and the longest stretch of bronze artwork in the worldHISwas horrible, says an Oklahoma Citywater-taxi driver, as his craft glides pastneat red-brick buildings that now house

Earls Rib Palace and the Marble Slab Creamery.The area used to be filled with burnt-outwarehouses. Now a seven-year-old canal windsthrough it, and breweries and burger jointseventhe oddlatteshopare starting to spill out alongthe waterway.

It is not exactly Venice. But 11 years afterthe bombing of the federal building at its heart,

once-drab Oklahoma City is mounting acomeback, fuelled partly by the oil and gas boom.Theres more money in this town than we knew,says the mayor, Mick Cornett. Cities across theheartland are pumping resources into theirdowntowns, but Oklahomas effort seems morepronounced than most. There is even a new river,the recently christened Oklahoma River, whichruns through seven miles of a previously dry creekand has regattas.

At the heart of the revival is the canalarea, called Bricktown. There is a ballpark for aminor-league baseball team, and canalside condosare on the way. So are more hotels, which areneeded as the citys convention business expands.Strikingly for a staunchly Republican state, theBricktown revival was financed by tax dollarsa

one-cent tax approved by voters in 1993. In fiveand a half years it raised over $300m.

Last year, another citys tragedy furtherenhanced Oklahomas fortunes. When the NewOrleans Hornets, a basketball team, had to leavetheir flooded arena, they picked Oklahoma City.And the citywhich had been trying to woo amajor-league team for yearsrespondedecstatically. The Hornets are expected to return toNew Orleans after next season, but Oklahoma fanshave made their point. Now major-league

commissioners are calling me instead of me goingto them, says Mr Cornett. Indeed, a group ofOklahoma City businessmen has just boughtSeattles basketball team for $350m.

The party will continue at the states 2007centennial, and plans are elaborate. Gargantuanbronze sculptures of horses, wagons and riders areappearing along the canal. These commemoratethe 1889 Oklahoma land-rush, when the federalgovernment gave out land on a first-come, first-served basis, and pioneers raced off to the sound ofa cavalry bugle. Eventually the project will rank asthe longest stretch of bronze artwork in the world.That will be a lets-get-off-the-interstate-and-look-at-that venue, in the same way the St Louisarch has been, says Mr Cornett.

(The Economist, 29 July 2006)

T

A P P E N D I X O N E


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Downtowns Being Reinvented Nationwide

E. YEATESREPORTING | 3 OCTOBER @ 4.31pm

ALT LAKES MOVEtowards a new look is not

unlike what other comparable cities are doing.

In fact, architects say our old fashioned view of

what a city should be is no more.

Remember the transformation of

downtown Salt Lake during the 2002 Olympics?

Streets were packed. The cultural experience was

unique, to say the least. But once in a lifetime

Olympic crowds are hardly a permanent fixture.

Still, in redefining what a city should be,

architects are trying to restore at least the flavor of

that living, breathing environment that attracts

and holds people.

Brenda Scheer, Dean, College of

Architecture and Planning: When people think of

a dead downtown now, theyre thinking that way

because theyre looking for the shopping to be

revitalized, when really whats happening is a

whole shift in the downtowns and what theyre

for.

A new generation of architects, like some

students at the University of Utah, are redefining

cities. Though beams and designs may become

futuristic, theyre merely ingredients in a recipe.

New downtowns are centers for culture, sporting

and theatre events, and festivals; hubs around

effective mass transit systems; and above all,

comfortable places to live.

Brenda Scheer: Those housing units are

going to be full of people who want to live in an

urban environment and who will help create and

activate restaurants and clubs and that will mean

we will have more people on the streets.

Baltimore Harbor, Ft. Worth,

Washington D.C., Norfolk[,] Virginia, Portland

the list goes on. Theyre cities redefined and

restructured within their own personalities, but a

comfort zone that invites people to come and

STAY!

Brenda Scheer: Youll have a building

from 1850 standing next to a building from 1960,

standing next to a new building from 2005. And

architects like that layering effect. You know

youre sort of getting a little piece of everything as

you walk down the street.

Dean Brenda Scheer predicts Salt Lake

Citys transformation, with other developers soon

to jump on board now, wont take that long.

(Yeates, 2006)

S

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AN AMERICAN RENAISSANCE | DUSTIN TYLER JOYCE | PAGE 18

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Television.

R E F E R E N C E S

Copyright 2006 Dustin Tyler Joyce. All rights reserved.ON THE COVER: Architectural renderings of future projects in downtown Salt Lake City from the Downtown Rising Web site,http://www.downtownrising.com. Image of American flag from http://www.sandi.net/events/constitution_day/american_flag_closeup.jpg.

an american renaissance: the rebirth of urban living and america’s downtowns

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