New Gateway EmX Opening Next Week!

I am so excited for January 9th to come! Lane Transit District's second EmX line will be opening and there will be an abundance of festivities taking place that day including free rides on the successful BRT lines continuing throughout the week! I just might spend my entire workday riding the new line...

I think the thing I am most excited about is that the junction for the two lines in the bottom right corner of the map is Downtown Springfield! That's my project area! The impact that the EmX will have and already has had on the district is so significant! As stated in my letter to the Editor last week, the positive things happening in Downtown Springfield will only be reflected with yet another line out to West Eugene and the many more LTD has planned.

In the Reader

Next American City takes a look at whether a new streetcar in Downtown Atlanta can save MARTA, the region's transit system. "MARTA is the largest transit system in the country with an almost complete lack of state or regional funding—perhaps its biggest problem."

If you didn't catch my post the other day about physicist Geoffrey West solving cities through math, then you better read it and expect your mind to be blown.

Via Magazine, a publication of AAA tours several Main Streets in California and Oregon and compares them with Walt Disney's Main Street USA.

2010 Census data is out! Great news for all of us statistics nerds and planners. The APA analyzes briefly how the redistricting works and why some states gain and some lose, even though it may not look like they should.

Common Ground, the seasonal publication of the National Realtor Association, takes an in depth look at economic growth and how it is stimulated by a variety of things including transit, art, zoning, public space, and public markets, all from the perspective of a Realtor. Check it out! (PDF - May take a bit to load)

And finally, an Op-Art piece from the New York Times about the controversial bicycle lane expansions taking place the Big Apple.

So what is happening in Downtown Springfield, Oregon?

I'm so glad you asked!

Downtown Springfield was recently designated as a "Transforming Downtown" under Oregon Main Street's downtown revitalization program, which follows the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Main Street Model. Basically, that means

Now, Downtown Springfield is similar to your average downtown district, and yes, even the one in the famous Simpsons show. Once a thriving town profiting off of the nearby lumber industry. When that went dry decades ago, the city turned to other sources of revenue, namely growth and development. As the city grew, strip malls, office campuses, and the typical shopping mall came in leaving the original core of the city in the dust

An unfortunate piece of Springfield's history goes back to the prohibition era as well. Back when the country was dry and slowly began to become wet again, the city of Springfield began alcohol consumption again several years before the city of Eugene (Springfield's metro area neighbor and more well known municipality). Thus, Springfield's reputation in the region as "the town where you went to get drunk" began. So, currently, Springfield, more specifically, Downtown Springfield, has a very negative perception among the majority of the local population as a sketchy part of town where druggies, prostitutes, and questionable people hang out. The streets are dark at night, and people just are worried to be on the streets leading to businesses closing shop at 4pm, because, apparently, "people get mugged."

Over the past year or so, a number of downtown merchants and influential people have been meeting monthly to identify problems in downtown and determine reasonable solutions to address these issues. I was brought on board with the Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO) as an AmeriCorps*VISTA to be the Main Street Coordinator to spearhead the project and establish the groundwork for the program to be successful in the future.

Committees have been formed under the Four Points of Main Street: Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring. These committees are developing work plans and courses of action for the coming year to tackle some small but visible victories for Downtown Springfield to keep the momentum going and action happening.

Already, a major culture shift is taking place in Downtown Springfield! We have partnered with the Eugene Storefront Art Project (ESAP) to place numerous art installations in vacant storefront throughout the district. People are now stopping to see the art, and realize that these so called "scary" streets really aren't that bad. New stores are filling these vacancies, and a very successful Art Walk has been established on the second Friday of each month!

People are taking note, and Downtown Springfield is already turning around! Several strip clubs and bars that have been the staple of the downtown's negative perception, have recently been denied their liquor license renewals and are being shut down the first week of the new year. This is great news for the community and will only lead to a more inclusive and inviting community.

The city has some elaborate downtown renewal plans, which you can view here. The Main Street program looks at downtown revitalization from a more grassroots, business perspective. Still, whatever projects we decide to pursue will be directly related to the overall vision of the urban renewal plans.

I am really enjoying working this job, even though it might be a temporary thing. I am getting some excellent experience and developing some extraordinary networking and public interaction skills. Meeting and working collaboratively with city officials, board directors, and local movers and shakers is pretty exciting. Coordinating committees is quite the challenge I am figuring out.

For a good summary news article, read this if you haven't already. I love positive, free PR for my downtown. haha

How Donald Shoup Will Find You a Parking Spot

This is a fantastic quick spiel about how to handle the issue of parking in downtowns. I want to show this to all of the merchants and those concerned with parking in Downtown Springfield. Some key quotes:

"Just because the driver doesn't pay for parking, doesn't mean the cost isn't there."

"The cost for free parking in the United States is somewhere between what we pay for MediCare and Defense."

Thanks to Brandon at Masters Planning for this gem!