Comments on Oakland Streets: Walk It Out

Well said.

2009-02-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

Well said.

Awesome post. I strongly agree that planning need...

2009-02-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

Awesome post. I strongly agree that planning needs to take an organic approach and work with what's there rather than create what you think should be there and expect people to materialize in and around it (*cough*Fruitvale Transit Village!*cough*)
And I agree that the Emeryville booster backlash is a little over the top. Yes, they created some very successful retial space out of

While the likes of Emeryville and Santana Row do h...

2009-02-25T18:06:00.000-08:00

While the likes of Emeryville and Santana Row do have a plastic Disneyland feel to them, forget about the esthetic objections. How about recognizing that we just have too damn much retail space in the US, most of it in malls - like 20 sq. ft. per person! There's more to an economy than selling retail to consumers using their credit cards, as we've recently found out. While it has excellent

Lorin:
Yes, I know Jack London gets busier some...

2009-02-25T10:41:00.000-08:00

Lorin:
Yes, I know Jack London gets busier sometimes, but I went during lunchtime on a Friday, a time when one would expect at least some foot traffic. Maybe the photos were not totally representative, but I didn't have to try very hard to take them. I've been to the Farmer's Market, and I'd say it's only so-so. My favorite FM is the one at Lake Merritt (by the 580) on Saturdays. That one

a) I think you do Jack London Square a disservice....

2009-02-25T10:06:00.000-08:00

a) I think you do Jack London Square a disservice. Ever been there during the Farmer's Market? Yes, its underused (and I don't get the fountains either) but its not always as empty as your photos suggest.

b) I have lived in towns with very successful pedestrian-only streets including Charlottesville, VA and Copenhagen, Denmark.

Whoa, seems like things have gotten a little out o...

2009-02-25T09:48:00.000-08:00

Whoa, seems like things have gotten a little out of hand. I wasn't trying to start a culture war or diss Emeryville in my post. Although some of it isn't to my taste, I have a grudging respect for the way Emeryville has transformed itself. I would also agree that pedestrianism is largely (but not totally) a result of density. Emeryville has done a good job of increasing density. It's still

Fight Blight,

The problem with Emeryville i...

2009-02-25T00:41:00.000-08:00

Fight Blight,

The problem with Emeryville isn't the modern architecture or that it is densifying, just that it does both badly. The architecture is, for the most part, cliche and cheap, when it isn't dreadful (have you seen the new condos on 40th & San Pablo - egad!).

And the densification is almost completely auto-centric, which Crimson rightly points out. That isn

[...some illuminating insight into the mechanics o...

2009-02-25T00:15:00.000-08:00

[...some illuminating insight into the mechanics of Bay Street/Emeryville (which should give pause to those who think there is much there for Oakland to emulate), Crimson called for a more experimental approach...]

The organic success of pedestrian only areas is, i...

2009-02-24T23:12:00.000-08:00

The organic success of pedestrian only areas is, in my mind, largely related to density. All of the areas people typically point to in Europe have a dense urban fabric with high density residential structures located over commercial storefronts on narrow streets. Seville Spain is a great example. Except in the largest US cities such as New York, we don't typically see the density in the US cities

Your observations of Bay Street in Emeryville mirr...

2009-02-23T20:56:00.000-08:00

Your observations of Bay Street in Emeryville mirror my own. Might the cyclovia/ ciclovia be the next step in the pedestrian street? (Georgia - http://localecology.org)

Goodnight Moon set? You lost me there.

2009-02-23T19:46:00.000-08:00

Goodnight Moon set? You lost me there.

There's a handful of cities around with pedestrian...

2009-02-23T18:12:00.000-08:00

There's a handful of cities around with pedestrian zones (Memphis and St. Louis come to mind) but it's nothing like the zones pietons in Europe, where whole cores of cities are foot-only. The urban morphology dictates whether this can be done effectively. One also has to remember access for service / delivery vehicles needs to be planned in and disabled access accounted for as well.

ON a

That was a good article about Kalamazoo.

It...

2009-02-23T14:18:00.000-08:00

That was a good article about Kalamazoo.

It seems like people expected pedestrian malls to magically fix problems they weren't designed to fix. Not many people are going to drive downtown just to take a walk in a pedestrian mall, unless it has something really great to offer.

It's like when a nightclub that was formerly free starts charging a cover. You can't do that when the

Hi. Reminds of this article from '96 about the...

2009-02-23T14:01:00.000-08:00

Hi. Reminds of this article from '96 about the Kalamazoo, Michigan pedestrian mall.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9401E6D71238F936A35752C1A960958260&sec=&spon=&&scp=3&sq=kalamazoo%20michigan%20mall&st=cse

Denver,CO created a car-free zone that is the widt...

2009-02-23T13:30:00.000-08:00

Denver,CO created a car-free zone that is the width of downtown or about 22 blocks long. Only free shuttle buses and police cars vehicles are allowed on 16th Street. During the day and on pleasant evenings it is a lively place with all kinds of people gathered to eat, drink, shop and hang out. It's been around for at least 20 years.

Comments on Oakland Streets: Walk It Out

Well said.

Awesome post. I strongly agree that planning need...

While the likes of Emeryville and Santana Row do h...

Lorin:Yes, I know Jack London gets busier some...

a) I think you do Jack London Square a disservice....

Whoa, seems like things have gotten a little out o...

Fight Blight,The problem with Emeryville i...

[...some illuminating insight into the mechanics o...

The organic success of pedestrian only areas is, i...

Your observations of Bay Street in Emeryville mirr...

Goodnight Moon set? You lost me there.

There's a handful of cities around with pedestrian...

That was a good article about Kalamazoo.It...

Hi. Reminds of this article from '96 about the...

Denver,CO created a car-free zone that is the widt...

Lorin:
Yes, I know Jack London gets busier some...

Fight Blight,

The problem with Emeryville i...

That was a good article about Kalamazoo.

It...