What I believe

First and foremost, I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Second and second most, I hope everyone is so full of turkey and gravy... and I guess cranberry sauce??? that all they have the energy to do is read good ole Sam's blog!... because I'm now speaking to literally 3 of you. Hi Gina, Kerry, and that one Google+ guy from eastern Europe who I see reads my posts but is only known as a stat on my stats page.

Now back to the show... A couple of posts ago (I just feel like I need to help) I made mention to a "list of what I believe" when it comes to rebuilding a strong urban core and fixing our broken suburbs. Lists (and in extension this blog) help me organize my thoughts. See I have tons of random ideas and I'm sure most of them are ridiculous but I don't want to lose any of them. Like for instance - I think you can build a large building in downtown Cleveland on Public Square and put a Macy's on the first 2 floors over underground parking and below class A business space and up-scale residential... and it will work! See the Marshall Field and Company Building in Chicago as a partial proof of concept. There's a growing population of people downtown and they need a place to shop for department store stuff and clothes that aren't t-shirts. It's a strong, well known brand and they have a presence in urban areas. They fill a retail void without squashing small business. Just make it the regional flagship store or something and demolish the one at Great Northern. That mall's gonna die in a few years anyway. More about that some other day.

So not that anyone cares but here's a outlined list of "what I believe" as promised:

• Per-acre, our downtowns have the potential to generate so much more public wealth than low-density subdivisions or massive malls by the highway. For all that revenue they bring in, downtowns cost considerably less to maintain in public services and infrastructure.
• Do anything you can to fix up underutilized buildings in an urban area, because that’s where your wealth comes from.
• Mixed-use high density developments will pay off the infrastructure investment (roads, water, sewer, etc…) and start creating tax revenue much faster than single use low density suburban subdivisions. In most cases those subdivisions can take decades to pay off the infrastructure investment since they produce a fraction of the tax revenue and involve more infrastructures since they occupy a lot more land.
• Business in the front. Parking in the back.
• Build up not out.
• By giving people transportation options, you empower them to incorporate transportation into their lives as they see fit. Communities of thought form based on these options and start to mold the fabric of the urban environments that they occupy and use. The financial benefits of alternate transportation options begin to become attainable thus adding to an individual’s buying power. This buying power takes the emphasis off of the automobile and puts it into arenas that better benefit the community such as home buying/improvement, entrepreneurship, local consumerism and an increase of each along alternate transit routes.
• Access
• Make transportation options available for everyone
• High, middle, and low class
• Handi-capable
• Residents and visitors
• Reactionary – Make sure these groups have access to multiple transportation options:
• Already established high concentrations of residential
• Already established mixed residential/retail
• City business center
• Entertainment districts
• Speculative – Support Transit Oriented Development:
• Along existing transportation corridors where multiple options exist
• Projects that include mixed use development and multiple transportation options in their plans
• Projects that include rehabbing/improving already existing secondary transportation options
• Comfort
• Security
• Security for all transportation options is top priority
• Make sure public perception of security exists and is positive
• Stops/lanes are in safe, well lit, and often patrolled areas
• Provide protection from weather and other traffic
• Ease of use
• Do not overcomplicate transportation options, maps, and/or payment options and amounts
• Provide clear and easy to follow instructions and general information at stops, in apps, and on the web
• Have in-person support when and where possible
• Convenience
• Make the transportation costs lower than parking/gas
• Supply alternate modes of transportation additional right of ways during congested times
• Provide bike racks close to events whenever possible
• Promotion of car-alternate transportation
• Environmental Impact
• Safety
• Efficiency/Speed
• Avoid traffic congestion before, during, and after big events
• Promote direct routes from high interest place to high interest place (ie Airport to Downtown)
• Avoid looking for parking
• Health Benefits
• Walking
• Cycling
• Fresh Air
• Financial Benefits
• Alternative to high gas prices
• Alternative to high parking costs and tickets
• Better Urban Environments
• Overall Cost Effectiveness (taxes)
• Walkability
• Safety
• Find out from the existing business base what it is that government can do to increase their number of employees by 1.
• Instead of only rewarding new businesses for moving to your city, reward businesses that have stayed in the city, especially if recent times have been tough.
• The possibility of receiving common requests/complaints allows you to:
• Make multiple existing businesses happier with minimal effort
• Show other businesses outside of your city that you can take care of common roadblocks that they may also be dealing with
• Eliminate out of date and unnecessary governmental red tape
• Keeps your finger on the pulse of business community in your city
• Adds jobs
• Promote a business friendly environment
• Businesses from outside your city take notice
• Word of mouth from existing business owners is great promotion
• Promotes city loyalty and reduces the chance for business to move away
• Start and promote incubator programs
• Provides an easy path to small business and promotes collaboration between local businesses as a support mechanism
• Small business incubation
• Make it a yearly competition to increase preparedness and possibility of success
• Predict the success rate of each applicant business
• Reward businesses that provide needed services
• Use current unused storefronts in decent areas as incubator space
• Have a graduated rent structure to promote early growth
• Provide high speed internet access
• Reward incubator businesses that decide to stay in the city/neighborhood
• Arts
• Diversify the type of artists in the program
• Offer low cost open work space and allow it to be creatively used
• Use current unused storefronts in decent areas as incubator art galleries
• Use artists on public works projects where necessary
• Promote public art projects as a form of city beautification
• Use group buying power to get better cost on supplies
• Find local companies and institutions to sponsor the programs and volunteer services
• Marketing
• Banking support
• Financial programs
• Educational opportunities
• Networking
• Past incubator businesses/artists
• Have the 2 programs work together
• Arts can provide decorating, marketing, branding, etc…
• Businesses can provide storefronts, promotion, performance space, etc...
• Support small, incremental investments over a long period of time. Make sure that they are high return investments that build community wealth and prosperity. [Strong towns approach]
• Easily falls within the city’s budget
• Plays to the strengths of the community
• Engages citizens and neighborhoods to discern what the pressing needs are
• Quick results with a small amount of energy
• More bang for your buck
• Little to no long term financial liabilities
• Promote renewable energy and recycling
• A onetime investment for years of renewable energy
• Promotes cost savings and environmental awareness
• Shows forward and progressive thinking

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