Thursday, February 26, 2009

Toward a Shrinking City Plan

For Dayton readers, something for you to participate in, as a way of figuring out how to deal with the increasing amount of abandoned property and vacant land in the city




It says RSVP, and its a month a way, but just a heads-up to interested partys living in the city.

I do like the positive "green" spin they are giving to a situation that is really creeping Detroitification.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought Richard Florida and Dr. Ervin are going to built art galleries and hip botiques on all the abandoned properities in Dayton...

Anonymous said...

I was at the Planning and Community Development Studio this morning discussing this very concept along with the 1911 Olmsted Brothers landscape plan for the city. Very well presented and intriguing. The city is very seriously planning to resurrect the Olmsted plan in conjunction with the "Dayton Beautiful: From Vacant to Vibrant" program. The restoration of Hills and Dales is just a small, but important, part of this process. The Greater Downtown Dayton business plan is looking at incorporating Olmsted ideas into its prioritization of projects to beautify the corridors leading into the city. This is very similar to Olmsted's ideas about constructing gateways and boulevards along Xenia Ave., Third St., and other corridors. UD Prez, Dan Curran, apparently is pushing this concept. On a different, but related, note: wouldn't it be a good thing if a part of the new 20 mil endowment to the Dayton Foundation could help finance some of these projects?

Jefferey said...

Developing a big park plan is pretty ambitous

A more modest approach that might be beneficial. and help more people, is to encourage (and maybe even assist) property owners to aquire vacant land adjacent to their property. That way they gain larger lots and the they can maintain the property too.

Anonymous said...

Yup. That's definitely a part of the overall plan. The city is also planning to invite the NYC planner who has been instrumental in implementing the City's vacant lots to gardens plan (think Bette Middler).