Thanks you 2 for some thoughtful conversation. It sure
beats the personal attacks
-Mark
-----Original Message-----
From: L a s e r B e a m <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Apr 5, 2004 10:10 AM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: [UC] HD : an Ad Hoc, Non Binding, lots of time and reasons to change your
mind, POLL - Just Do It!
KAREN ALLEN wrote:
> I support the historic district designation, although I do not live in
> Spruce Hill. I think that some valid concerns have been raised regarding
> how the Historic Commission functions, but these issues can and should
> be addressed separately and apart from the concept of a historic district.
>
> I am almost 50 years old, and I lived in Philadelphia my entire life. I
> grew up in South Philadelphia, in the neighborhood now known as
> Southwest Center City. ...[rest of story snipped]
thanks, karen, for your story. it's another example of how
complex the hd issue is. for example, you cite the wholesale
destruction that occured in your old neighborhood. and then
point out that that wholesale destruction did not happen in
this neighborhood, that it survived more or less intact and
has a cohesive aesthetic. it makes one wonder, doesn't it,
about the extent to which wholesale destruction is going on
in this neighborhood, and, related to that, the extent to
which historic districting would be the appropriate tool
necessary to stem it... many factors are responsible for
fostering healthy stable neighborhoods over time, and some
would argue that these factors should include those which
encouraged a mix of uses and people in an area, factors
which would prevent an unhealthy and vulnerable
'homogenization' ('ghettoization') of an area... the very
factors which, it could be argued, historic designation
would mitigate, if not eliminate. something to think about.
karen, have you ever read jane jacobs' book, written 1960 I
think, called the life and death of great american cities.
she describes four urban design principles necessary for the
creation and preservation of vibrant, diverse cities: (1)
high densities of population and activities; (2) mixtures of
primary uses; (3) small-scale, pedestrian-friendly blocks
and streetscapes; and (4) the retention of old buildings
mixed in with new. jacobs was critical of a planning style
that destroyed communities, separated land uses, and
fostered homogenization -- the very effects of the urban
renewal and garden-city movements of her time. she often
challenged established orthodoxy. for example, she called
for the preservation of old buildings not for aesthetic or
historical reasons, but on economic and social grounds: part
of the physical diversity of a healthy district, she argued,
was the retention of old buildings *mixed in with the new*.
jacobs also argued that urban health and vitality require
effective local participation in the political process, as
it affects all areas of city life, including land use.
I mention this because I see in all this discussion about
the neighborhood a contest of visions -- one of
neighborhoods as organic and dynamic vs one of neighborhoods
as managed/engineered and static. I think there's a middle
ground somewhere, where these two visions come together, and
I think jacobs offers an interesting model/set of principles
that many consider sound (at least, she's still taught in
urban design courses). I also mention jacobs because in an
earlier post you talked about drafting a zoning letter, and
along the way you said "UC community groups will challenge
zoning changes that will adversely impact on the community"
-- it reminded me that what you and these groups think of as
'adverse' to the community may well be precisely what jacobs
would call 'healthy,' namely, a mix of uses that prevents
homogenized 'ghettoization' and fosters thriving, healthy
cities. something to think about.
.........
laserbeam
[aka ray]
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