Jeff Speck – Video No. 2

Jeff Speck Talks About Giving People What They Want



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Comments

Wow, he may have just managed to turn the ship and save us from wasting hundreds of millions on poorly conceived road improvements.

Steve, do you know how the city plans to ensure that these ideas are implemented, specifically on the projects that are already funded through the GO bond?

I hope they take his word on trees to heart more than most anything else, and not just in downtown but everywhere in the city. There are a lot of places around that need more green.

Well Blair, there’s a process …
If you do – or don’t – like what you are hearing, you call your councilman and/or the mayor. They in turn will sometimes interpret those calls as “the voice of the people” and vote accordingly. It’s an odd quirky thing called democracy.
Go figure. Who knew?

While I thoroughly enjoyed his presentation and suggestions, there was one idea he mentioned about possibly redesigning the replacement boulevard I did not fully agree with. His concept (albeit, quickly conceived) was to essentially widen the distance between east and west bound lanes creating a center-median oasis or park. While that is not a bad thought, I think he contradicted his earlier sentiment about one-way streets. His boulevard plan in fact creates two additional one-way streets (one east and one west) allowing motorists to zoom freely, unabated, counter to pedestrian-friendly conventional wisdom. I realize I am nitpicking a little, but that boulevard is so very important to connectivity of the CBD and C2S, especially from a pedestrian standpoint.

I do hope the city reconsiders current plans and reevaluate the true capacity needs of the boulevard. They might consider narrowing the boulevard and routing it to the far north or south edge of the ROW and selling the land for development, creating a pedestrian park, or use the space to expand the canal to “Central Park”. I just don’t want the boulevard be become a physical and psychological barrier to the areas south of it (we have that problem now).

I like this guy I do.

I hope that the city listens to what he says and alters future plans according to some of the tidbits he presented. I think the re-striping is incredibly genius and at the same time common sense. The city could easily do that. Lets hope he didn’t come here for nothing.

Oh and where can I see a copy of the Downtown Street Master Plan or whatever?

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