Before I shift gears in my coverage of the charrette (public design process) for a new Downtown Plan, I wanted to try to capture in some reasonably intelligent manner the big ideas and broad trends that emerged from yesterday's hands-on design activity.
(The coverage has, to some degree, migrated from "What's this charrette thing and why should I care?" to "What's happening at this charrette thing now that it has started?" This week, I'll start looking at what comes next -- hopefully with some interviews with city officials [from Richmond and elsewhere] and planners about what it will take to turn the vision for downtown Richmond into real, tangible change.)
More than 200 people gathered around 19 tables and went insane with magic markers in attempts to re-imagine a future downtown Richmond -- one that may take generations to realize. In the afternoon, each table presented their views of a changed downtown (every table had one complete downtown map, and two downtown neighborhood maps -- my table, for instance, looked at the central business district and at Manchester). I took notes for about 13 table presentations. Here is my summary:
Major Themes
Looking at detailed maps of downtown, including topographic maps, maps of critical views on both sides of the river, maps of vacant properties and of one-way streets and of parking lots, really points toward a handful of broad themes. They were obvious enough that each of them was referenced by a majority of tables.
It's the River, Stupid: Three key themes emerged about the James River -- protect it and keep it green; maintain and increase public access for all Richmonders; protect the viewshed (for instance, don't build giant condos between the amazing view from Libby Hill and the river). Other ideas:
- Preserve Libby Hill viewshed
- Create a riverfront park below Church Hill that connects to the Canal Walk
- Keep the river public and green along both sides
- The river should be accessible by foot, bike, boats, kayaks, canoes -- every means of travel
- Make the James River Park continuous from Maymont to Henrico
- Build a monument for religious freedom and racial reconciliation on Mayo Island
- Open Chapel Island (just east of Canal Walk)
- Make Mayo Island a center of outdoor activity
- Move the HQ for the city department of parks and recreation to Mayo Island
- Ensure that the river defines downtown
- Turn the bridges across the James into "great spaces" (for instance, "green" two of the six lanes on the Manchester Bridge for pedestrians)
Connecting Communities: It became incredibly obvious just how much the construction of the Downtown Expressway and I-95 utterly eviscerated the city, and physically divided critical urban communities from the urban core. Oregon Hill and Randolph to the south, and much of north Richmond -- including Gilpin Court and Highland Park -- lost their natural connections to the rest of the city. Repairing that damage to Richmond's urban fabric would not be cheap or easy, but many tables felt it is critical work for our future. Other thoughts:
- Cover the Downtown Expressway from (at least) Harrison Street near VCU to Belvidere with an emphasis on recreational and green space
- A cable car from Church Hill to Court End (behind MCV) to carry residents and tourists across Shockoe Valley
- Fix the negative impact of the interstate system
- Connect our neighborhoods to downtown; reconnect Oregon Hill to the city
- Downtown is too segmented
- Build over the expressway
Get Around, Get Around, I Get Around: Transportation was on everyone's mind with an emphasis on moving people around the downtown area more efficiently and with more variety. Many groups saw transportation networks as being a critical way to reconnect Richmond's residents to their downtown. Some specifics:
- A trolley system that connects Manchester, VCU and Jackson Ward to downtown
- Turn the bridges across the James into "great spaces" (for instance, "green" two of the six lanes on the Manchester Bridge for pedestrians)
- Fix the issue with the rail yards west of downtown so that passenger trains to Main Street Station make sense
- Finish the bike trail between Richmond and Williamsburg
- Make the city more bike friendly
- Trolleys from Broad and Cary
- A cable car from Church Hill to Court End (behind MCV) to carry residents and tourists across Shockoe Valley
- A commuter line on Southside
- A trolley from Boulevard to Shockoe Bottom, from Manchester to Jackson Ward
- Make the city more pedestrian friendly
Turning Green with Planning Envy: The James River (see above) is the obvious green resource for Richmond, but participants yesterday saw some other major ways to enhance both the physical green space and the reduce Richmond's environmental impact:
- Preserve the significant views -- of the river and of the city
- Skylight Shockoe Creek. (Skylight is a term that basically means "unbury.") Shockoe Creek was diverted into an underground tunnel decades ago, and many participants saw an opportunity to return Shockoe Valley to a more natural, green state -- beginning with the return of the creek all the way to the river.
- Empower (and fund) the city's arborist to turn the city into a "green" showcase
- Connect our public parks with more green corridors
- More open space, more green space
- Make the city as "green" as possible
- Rooftop gardens
- Rooftop water collectors
Mixing It Up: Mixed use -- creating a blend of residential, retail and office space -- was another big, and fairly obvious, topic. This was a particular focus when people began talking about Jackson Ward and Manchester. There was a lot of passion for the entire downtown to be more inclusive, to bolster the mix of goods and services available for downtown residents and workers, and to become a cheerleader for small businesses.
Art and Man: The notion of public art received a lot of applause whenever it was mentioned. Almost every group that talked about Manchester focused on north Manchester as being a node for culture and the arts.
Jackson Ward: Protecting Jackson Ward's history, architecture and its existing residential community was a big deal. Not every table spoke about affordable housing, but those who did were paying particular attention to the residents of Jackson Ward and Manchester, especially.
- Transform Second Street into the major corridor from north to south -- connect Jackson Ward to the urban downtown and then to the river. Make the intersection of Second Street and Broad Street a significant node, and turn it into a symbolic and visible center of downtown Richmond.
- Revitalize Jackson Ward with mixed use for mixed incomes
- Make Jackson Ward a destination
- Maintain the residential character of Jackson Ward
Manchester: When you look at the missing "teeth" on maps of Manchester -- vacant and empty lots -- you realize just how much of a blank slate the district is, which makes it important to really have a vision for its future. Restoring Manchester's residential character and enhancing its commercial district and remembering its neighbors west on Semmes and in the Blackwell neighborhood were all important components.
- Create a "Main Street" vision for Hull Street and Manchester
- Create an incentive program to develop Manchester
- Emphasize green space and trees throughout Manchester
- Manchester as an urban village
- Create a commercial corridor in Manchester like Carytown is today
- Emphasize residential in Manchester
- Build a magnet school in Manchester
- Recognize that the Plant Zero area is our new Soho
This obviously doesn't capture all of the ideas splattered across 57 different maps created during yesterday's event. make plans to stop by the Open Design Studio to look at all of the ideas yourself, and to talk to Dover Kohl's planners and experts about the ideas that you have passion for:
Sunday – Thursday, July 22 - 26 - Open Design Studio at The Commons at Plant Zero (220 Hull Street, across the 14th Street Bridge). Sunday from 1:00 - 7:00. Monday through Wednesday from 9:00 am - 7:00 pm. Thursday from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm.
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