Robert Moses and Haydon Burns - Part 2

[vicupstate]

Its not the highway system per se, jeh1980, it was the way that the highway system was purposefully used to destroy the micro economics of the city center and divide the races.

Also the gamble that he took in replacing the trade brought by the wharves and the East side of Jacksonville with Insurance Company resettlement.  It seemed like a good couple of birds in the bush, but he let go of the one he had in hand.

He destroyed the engine of money and the organic nature of the city economics and left nothing permanent in place to replace them.

I can understand...I think. We all due respect, but I just got to know, how can we REALLY prove that Haydon Burns destroy everything he touched with the Highway system. How could it possible destroy any economic value? And what did it had to do with dividing the races? I think that the real problem we have is that we all had focused too much on the negative side of things of what he may had done and not focused on at least some of the parts he may have done that are positive. No offense, but I have nothing to complain against Haydon Burns just because I think he had every good intentions. He only wanted to make Jacksonville a "modern city", not a city of what we all think it reach the eve of destruction. Though, I do see that what's done is already done. But I don't see why Haydon would ever want this city destroyed in any way, shape, or form.

The tirade against Burns as an individual is totally unwarranted.  He was trying to MODERNIZE the city.  The highways, the new public buildings on the waterfront, the plans both fulfilled and unfulfilled, every single bit of it was being done in virtually every city in America, save a few holdouts such as NO and Charleston.  Even in those cities there was some of that.

I am old enough to remember the '70's and the entire attitude was to tear down everything old and replace it with new.   That was true with buildings, furniture, fashion, everything.   Urban Renewal was really just 'destroy and rebuid'. Burns was merely a product of his times.     

Besides what good does it do to rehash the past.  The point is where do we go from here.  Let's LEARN from our mistatkes and STOP making them.  For instance we can SAVE Annie Lytle, No. 5 Fire Station, the housing stock of Springfield, and STOP continuing to destroy what few historic relics Jax still has.   

[Timkin]

To a degree  I concur with the urban renewal statement above... and as such  We have so little of our past heritage , in the bits and pieces of Historic Structures remaining, compared to ANY other large City I have visited..  Tear down and replace with modern , was done to a fault,to the point that downtown as I recall  as a childm and the downtown I see now , might as well be two completely different cities.  Theres next to nothing left.

I think part of the way to revitilize some areas of downtown ,would be to replicate some of our past, and have adequate access, to and from these areas.. AND  to not raze any further, significant structures of days gone by...   Memories are great, but I would like something I can still touch  that left from my younger days.
 

[spuwho]

This is an interesting read so far, but it is all critical hindsight so far. I hope at the end of this series you can put forth a comprehensive plan that one could recommend.

"the concentration of the cultural, financial and intellectual power of a million plus residents into a dynamic and vibrant center."  is not really a plan, but a dream.

Is a good dream to have, but how does Jacksonville accomplish it? How can it overcome the cultural problems that Moses brought with him? It's easy to tell everyone what is wrong, hopefully you can share what can be done right.

Everyone seems to want a "vibrant urban core", is that the only option? Is suburbia always bad? Are there not other options?