Elements of Urbanism: Akron

[Metro Jacksonville]

Elements of Urbanism: Akron



Metro Jacksonville looks at the downtown of a rust belt city that has successfully diversified its manufacturing based economy into one built on research, financial and high tech sectors: Akron, OH.

Full Article
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2009-dec-elements-of-urbanism-akron

[vicupstate]

Nice looking city, very clean and polished.  I like the Convention Center architecture too.  The quaker Mill reuse is pretty inventive too.   

[fsu813]

The Akron Zips is a top 10 college mascot name.

[Overstreet]

"The quaker Mill reuse is pretty inventive too."

Inventive yes, but can't seem to make it as a hotel. Two seperate hotels and now owned by the college. But they are going to run it as a hotel until the city replaces the hotel beds. Would have been an interesting clean up project.   

[Bostech]

Cities of USA are so depressing except NYC.Empty streets,no people,looks like cheesy version of Armagedon.
You cant win against car culture.

[thelakelander]

What about cities like San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Boston, New Orleans, DC, Philadelphia, etc.?

San Francisco

[Bostech]

Maybe SF and Chicago,only place Ive seen people 24/7 is NYC.But all those cities are expensive like hell.
Rest of US is car culture,no way anything will ever change.

[krazeeboi]

That doesn't mean that all other US cities are depressing with nothing to offer. The US wouldn't be as powerful and prosperous as it is if that were the case.

[Ocklawaha]

What was in the Art Museum? But of course darling, a 1963 Avanti Motorcar.

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

Maybe SF and Chicago,only place Ive seen people 24/7 is NYC.But all those cities are expensive like hell.
Rest of US is car culture,no way anything will ever change.

Guess you haven't been in New Orleans or St. Augustine or Santa Fe, or Taos, or Reno, or Vegas, or Tahoe, or even Helen Georgia either?

http://www.helenga.org/

OCKLAWAHA

[Bostech]

That doesn't mean that all other US cities are depressing with nothing to offer. The US wouldn't be as powerful and prosperous as it is if that were the case.

Well,people instead of being on street having good time they are at work..working.
I guess that makes you more prosperous but you dont have any fun in life.People in other countries have less but they have more fun and they are happier (based on polling).
So it comes down what you like more,having money and materialistic things or having fun and interacting with people.Somehow you can't have both.Its rule of living life.You either get one or another.Its like women,you either get dumb and pretty or ugly and smart.
Urban life just doesnt seem to work in US,except NYC which has history.
Sure,you can build urban areas,clean it up but unless people start living urban life nothing will change.
I guess its easier just to go and visit NYC or Europe,get some taste of urban life then come back.90% of US will always live suburban lifestyle.

[tufsu1]

I think you are way off base...there are plenty of cities (small and large) in the U.S. that have vibrant urban street activity....in addition to the ones mentioned above, how about Portland, Greenville SC, Baltimore (Inner Harbor area), Philly, and Boston....and the only one that might qualify as crazy expensive (housing costs only) is Boston!

[Ocklawaha]

I think you are way off base...there are plenty of cities (small and large) in the U.S. that have vibrant urban street activity....in addition to the ones mentioned above, how about Portland, Greenville SC, Baltimore (Inner Harbor area), Philly, and Boston....and the only one that might qualify as crazy expensive (housing costs only) is Boston!

I generally agree with Bostech on this issue, there is a HUGE difference in city life that only immigrants and expatriots have really experienced. For example on any given day, even in the upscale shopping districts of Medellin, there are streets/walks so crowded you have to squeeze through the crowds (Jax Landing Style).

The Colombians joke about it:
"The frantic American businessman got in the taxi and to his horror the driver pulls off down a dirt road to a creek and proceeds to start fishing. Waving his hands the American is going crazy, he has a hotel room waiting, big meeting tomorrow and, and, and... The little Colombian Taxista looks up from the Rock he's now sitting on and asks "What is it you Americans do?" By now red in the face the businessman half yells, "I get up at 5am every day, not like YOU, I work from 7am until 8-9 pm everyday, I'm busy damn it, someday I'll take it easy and when I go fishing I'll have a cabin by the creek, but for now, let's get the hell back on the road." The Colombian leans back on his rock and rolls his eyes as he replies, "Oh si, now I understand, you see, that's what I'm doing NOW!"

OCKLAWAHA

[Dog Walker]

I think you are way off base...there are plenty of cities (small and large) in the U.S. that have vibrant urban street activity....in addition to the ones mentioned above, how about Portland, Greenville SC, Baltimore (Inner Harbor area), Philly, and Boston....and the only one that might qualify as crazy expensive (housing costs only) is Boston!

Add Ashville, NC to that list.  3AM and people are still on the street.

[Ocklawaha]

The difference is the crowd, not that there is life, it's actually a mob, herd, or crowd all of the time in these foreign cities. When we speak of sustainable and "live" downtowns, we are talking St. Augustine style, St. George Street, King Street, type street activities. The closest thing I have seen in the USA is the typical mob on "Main Street USA" in Disney or at special City wide bashes at The Jacksonville Landing." If we took that landing crowd and packed not just the landing but all of Laura and Hogan, up to Monroe, then and only then would we see something like Bosnia or Colombian "Life".

BTW, Boston is crazy expensive and so is San Francisco, New York City, and Portland. The Northeast and Pacific tend to be high dollar playgrounds. The midwest, South, southwest, plains states, all tend to be much better priced and in my opinion

OCKLAWAHA