Posts

Monroe Park Revitalization  I stumbled on some old notes taken while reading Jane Jacob’s seminal book “The Death and Life of Great American Cities”, specifically her discussion of city parks. It reminded me I had published a photo essay on the prospects of historic Monroe Park, here in Richmond. The essay can be found here: Monroe Park: Urban Forces It’s been viewed a couple hundred times, but I would like to invite discussion on the analysis, and how it may or may not be holding up now that the park has been renovated for a few years now.
 Broad Street Oases What if we were to plan for the insertion of “oases”, intermittent pockets of people oriented development that become identifiable nodes along Broad Street with their own identity? Broad Street as it exists in Richmond’s downtown is what you might refer to as an ‘A’ street: it is the primary, life-giving street, the center of activity. Sidewalks connecting storefronts connecting restaurants connecting art galleries connecting businesses connecting hotels connecting apartments. Life!  But as it stretches, mile after banal mile, into the western suburbs of the surrounding county, it retains the role of artery, but loses, well - life. Seeing people out en masse filling the sidewalks downtown for a recent First Fridays art walk was exciting. Seeing any person on Broad Street west of the city conjures feelings of sympathy. Did their car break down? Are they lost? We feel sorry for that poor (usually singular) person… If you’re like me, you probably approach Broad Street