Elements of Urbanism: Nashville

[vicupstate]

One thing that seems obvious to me:  Even though some thought Jacksonville's sidewalks were adequate when I raised the issue on a thread, these pictures tell me "no way!".  Nashville's walks are much wider, nicely treed for shade, and much more pedestrian friendly.  Jax couldn't handle these crowds if we had them.   We need to take a much harder look at our streetscapes.

for the most part, Jacksonville's sidewalk widths are similar to Nashville.  The two images you show are of Church Street, which has appeared to be the recipient of a recent streetscape project.

OK, Lake, I'll take your word for it (although I still percieve a lot more friendliness in Nashville based on the overall tone of the activity in the pictures, especially the picture of the Buffalo Billiards sign you, yourself, cited).  BUT... we don't have even one street that compares to that.  Where do we begin?

Laura St.  It is the nicest and most retail oriented street in DT.

[brainstormer]

I agree vic.  And what would make it even better, more in line with what stjr wants?  Here are a few ideas.

1.  Open up the cafe in the library to the street and let it set its own hours.  Add a few tables on the very wide sidewalk for outdoor seating and a fun creative sign.  Sometimes Cafe Nola sets up tables on the sidewalk which adds to this block's activity.

2.  Allow a private developer to buy or lease the Snyder Church (perfect place for a jazz club/coffeehouse).  Since the city owns the building, this would be a great opportunity to pair up with someone to share the costs of restoration in exchange for a low rent lease and helping to add something new to downtown.  The city really wouldn't have to spend much and after restoration would be gaining revenue.

3.  Let's help in whatever way we can to do something with the Laura Street Trio and the desolate block of Laura between Forsyth and Adams.  I was just talking to a young couple the other day who want to live downtown but were disappointed with the affordable options.  We need more apartment options in line with or slightly under the prices of 11East and the Carling.  Lots of us are not in the position to purchase a $300,000 condo or afford the Strand.  We don't need stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops.  Just "nice" will do!

4.  Encourage mixed use infill with street level retail on the parking lot at Forsyth and Laura.  Because of the Modis and BofA towers, there is a void from Forsyth to the Landing.  This would help break up this walk and further connect the Landing with the rest of Laura Street.

5.  Open up the Landing to the river so that it is more inviting.  This of course can't happen until the city stops being a prick about the land underneath.  We just need to decide if we want the Landing to continue to be part of Jacksonville.  If not, then the city needs to build something else there.  If we like the Landing then, sell the land so it can be privately developed.  Again a chance to gain some revenue.

Encouraging more residential living on and around Laura Street would really help it blossom into more than a 9-5 street.  Think of Jazz Fest when we had the shops and restaurants open later.  Laura Street along with Bay Street are the two streets with the most potential to reshape and revitalize downtown.  Let's encourage the mayor to not just talk, but do.  Some of my ideas wouldn't cost the city much and would reap more in return.  I still have a bit of hope.

[heights unknown]

While we are at it, note the DOWNTOWN RIVERFRONT venue for large events in the picture below.  Without the Shipyards and/or JEA property, this won't be happening in Jacksonville:

And correct me if I am wrong, but the Shipyards and JEA properties are much bigger than what I see in that picture in Nashville; we can do much more with those properties and I'm sure bring in even more venues, concerts, and other activities for the City to enjoy.

Heights Unknown

[heights unknown]

Great tour and a great looking city.  Very similar to Jax in many ways.

How much of an added benefit comes from being the state capitol?  If Tallahassee's government infrastructure was here instead we'd likely have a much stonger developed core similar to our competitors like Nashville.  Now, that doesn't guarantee that Jax would have been more vibrant and connected, however, Nashville is certainly benefitting from the additional downtown workforce, parks, memorials, money....

I the long run, I still wholeheartedly believe the city will get her act together and capitalize on the inherent amenities located in and around Jacksonville. 

I think the state capitol definitely makes a difference.  That's part of why downtown Indianapolis looks so vibrant too.

I think it helps but its not the end all.  Norfolk is a great example of a non-state capitol, with a beach (VA Beach) and a vibrant downtown core.  Regardless of the economic stimulators, it really boils down to "connectivity" and "clustering" complementing development.

Norfolk: Jacksonville's Twin?
http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2007-jul-norfolk-jacksonvilles-twin

That is one of my favorite articles of yours, as I live in Tidewater Va.  Norfolk has done a tremendous job with respect to connectivity (a concept I've learned about primarily from the articles on this site).

Of course, Norfolk and Indianapolis are two of the cities that have gotten the downtown mall presentation "right," as opposed to Nashville, which evidently got it wrong before it got its downtown right.

Sounds like Jacksonville.

Heights Unknown

[heights unknown]

I agree with Lakelander; yeah, too much "sparseness" and "outfill" in downtown Jax; we can think past leaders for that of course, but all of that is passe, and the question "what do we do now?" is a valid one.  In my opinion there is no feel of "CITY," in general in downtown Jacksonville; we can thank the empty lots and parking lots lack of infill for that.

For starters we've got to quit tearing down and leaving vacant when a building becomes vacant, and, if we demolish or tear a building down, we've got to immediately find a use or development for that property. I.e., find innovative ways to restore, reconstruct or upgrade that building for a much better future use...but what scares me in that regard is most modern buildings are not built or constructed in that mold...correct me someone if I am wrong, but most modern buildings are built for a "set" life expectancy or use, and after that demolish them and build something else in their place.  The old buildings were built to last, and as all of us have seen, we can tear out the interior of those old buildings and the skeleton or shell if you will, is durable and strong enough reconstruct within the interior and refurbish the exterior.

Just a thought.

Heights Unknown

[sheclown]

Basically the entire Southern rock genre was born in Jacksonville.  In addition to Skynyrd, the Allmans played there in their formative years, and many of the next tier bands (Molly Hatchet, .38 Special, several others whose names are escaping me now) have Jacksonville roots.  

Who exactly was involved in the Southern Rock Hall of Fame concept that was vaguely discussed in '06-'07?  With the Van Zant family still part of the area, I'd imagine they could be approached about involvement with promotion and memorabilia donation.

That is such a great idea.

[thelakelander]

Well, this scene appears to now be under water.




more images: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/03/tennessee-flooding-photos_n_561436.html#s87303

[JaxByDefault]

Poor Nashville. Tough to see the old town under water.

I know when we lived there, almost no one off of the river thought about flood insurance. Even our old neighborhood 12 South to Lipscomb had a few blocks (adjacent to a what was normally a trickle of a creek) under water. I wish everyone well with clean up and repair.

The city moblized as soon as the waters started to rise, had a clear disaster plan, and is using some creative means to centralize issue reporting and response (twitter, google maps of flooded/damaged streets, info for citizen assistance with insurance/cleaning/rebuilding). Hopefully, they can sustain a good and rapid response effort in the tough coming days.

Nashvegas will be back up and running soon. She's tough!

The Tennessean has tons of photos: http://www.tennessean.com/

[JaxByDefault]

If you want to donate to help Nashville recovery efforts: http://www.cfmt.org/floodrelief/