The final compilation of the ideas.

Thoughts:

• I promise you that the marina will not work there, especially that far out. It is in the middle of the channel and the current is dangerously swift right there. There’s a reason why there are marinas on the opposite shore.
• None of this will work at all unless the focus is placed on creating an actual urban community downtown which Jacksonville lacks (but is making headway) right now.
• The plan to reopen Laura Street as a pedestrian mall between the Landing and Heming Plaza is great. Incorporating this into the plan for the Landing is essential. I feel this plan fails somewhat to do that.
• Increasing parking shouldn’t be needed if the city will get on the ball and make some transit opportunities and make people want to live downtown.
• Constructing some sort of attraction like in the design such as an aquarium, would be perfect.

OH MY GOSH! Look at me presentin’ that ‘vision’!

MetroJacksonville did a post about the charrette I was a part of back in September about the Jacksonville Landing! (I blogged a little about it here).

This was probably my favorite thing of the entire Florida APA conference that I participated in. Apparently, there was a presentation put together of all of our ideas and visions and given to some governing body I assume…It doesn’t say anywhere on the post. I honestly don’t like everything about the compilation that became the final result, but I’m glad, as a native to Jax, that I got to put my input into the planning process. That’s what it’s all about right?

It would be saweeeeet to work for something like the Downtown Vision

Concerning citizen participation in planning…

(from a class reading)

I’ve decided to do some work on my site plan while watching the game today.

The problem is, this site plan is literally like 7ft long. I do not own a table that large. I may not even be able to spread it out on the floor.

brentgilliard:

What Jane Jacobs Can Teach Us About the Economy

Generally speaking, I will defend the idea of neo-liberal international trade (if not the practice), but Jacobs’ idea that we should specialize regionally rather than globally seems like an attractive alternative. As energy prices rise, it might become the most practical arrangement. But I am not an economist.

I would like to read Cities and the Wealth of Nations when time allows.

Harris and Ullman: The Multiple Nuclei Model of city layouts

Today, for the conference I am attending this week, I participated in an interactive charrette for the Jacksonville Landing.

It was an incredible experience. I was especially excited about doing this breakout session because I grew up in this city and I’ve seen the phases the Landing has been through since it opened in the late 80s. The groups came up with some interesting ideas and thoughts, and it was neat to see the ideas of those who do not know about the city.

Anyway, I enjoyed it and ended up presenting my group’s ideas and sketches in front of a number of planners and the managers of the Landing.

I met some incredible people in my field including the chairwoman of the Downtown Vision for Jacksonville and the lobbyist to Congress for the American Planning Association.

Hopefully tomorrow will be just as much fun!

(photo via Livyourlife)

Tomorrow, I will be riding the good old bus with JTA to the planning conference. This is to avoid having to pay for parking all day for 3 days downtown.

I’m pretty excited!

from another article on the decline of Florida’s populaion: “A Magnet No More: Florida’s Population Shrinks” from NPR