The Globe’s got an interesting piece today about the role of creative arts in rejuvenating not only urban centers, but small towns like Hardwick, Vermont.
Clearly, bringing in artists can’t by itself resuscitate places struggling with crime, loss of jobs and other woes. But currently, it’s tough to attract residents who contribute to the 21st century knowledge [...]
Archive for October, 2007
Art’s role in community renewal
October 31, 200775% of Americans favor improved public transit and smarter growth to deal with traffic woes
October 28, 2007A solid majority of Americans backs improving public transportation and wiser development as ways to deal with increasing traffic woes, while only one and five believe building new roads is the answer. That’s according to a new survey sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and Smart growth America.
“Eight in 10 respondents prefer redeveloping older [...]
Toronto’s streetscape ‘gaps’
October 21, 2007I’m just back from a business trip to Toronto, which is a nice and reasonably walkable city (although I was unpleasantly surprised at the homeless problem there. Somehow I expected Canadian cities would have a better handle on that.) However, I found a significant difference between a reasonably pleasant pedestrian experience in Toronto and an [...]
Toll hike public hearing – Friday evening at 6 pm
October 11, 2007Why not just make it Saturday at 5 a.m. and be done with it? Are they serious – dinnertime on a Friday night when the Red Sox start a playoff series? Anyway, that’s when the Turnpike Authority travels out to Framingham (perhaps getting to experience some westbound Friday evening Pike rush-hour traffic) to hear what [...]
MAPC Policy Summit: Equitable Development
October 11, 2007From the MAPC:
The Metropolitan Area Planning Council and MetroFuture present a policy summit on some of the region’s most critical development issues, viewed through the lenses of equitable development, sustainability, and smart growth. Following an opening plenary, issue-specific breakout sessions will cover impact fees, housing choice, our aging population, and making our plans into reality. [...]
Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and the inability to walk between them
October 4, 2007Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods both appeal to a similar demographic — consumers who care about the quality of their food, and are seeking something besides unhealthy agribusiness offerings. In Framingham, both have set up shop — one block after another, in fact. It creates a synergy to be a regional draw, and a perfect [...]
