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From The Dispatch:
Small enhancements can make big impact Downtown
By Mark FerenchikOne day, while walking Downtown in Lynn Alley at the Pearl Market, you might gaze up and see a large, artsy chandelier. Maybe you’ll stop to study other public art along the way. And if you pedaled there, you might find parking spots for bicycles inside nearby garages.
Those are some of the ideas a local design company came up with for the Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District to spruce up Downtown’s core.
Some additional images/renderings/maps:
Looks awesome with the exception of the bike parking looking a little puzzling. It looks like a really inefficient use of space?
all for public art! get that ball rolling
Love it. Get it done!
I sat on this committee with a great crew of folks. Walker, you might inquire with Cleve Rickseker to get the entire report for reposting. There are many great renderings. I truly love them thinking out of the box for small projects that make a big impact. There are several other bike parking concepts. The Lynn and Pearl Alley plan could be the biggest hit down the road, I love it.
I would really like to see the Pearl Alley one happen asap.
small fix, big impact = genious idea………and it’s cheap.
Does anyone know when they would start these projects?
This could be really cool or go horribly wrong. For examples of horribly wrong, see the Mortarboard at Franklin University and the “pocket park” in the Short North next to Chase Bank and the Victorian Gate condos. I can’t think of any really cool examples of streetscaping in Columbus so I won’t list any at this time.
I love this idea. That said, there should definitely be a plan in place for revisiting each installation in say, five years, to make sure it’s still something we still want to showcase. I can think of a lot of examples of public art in Cleveland that I’m sure were aesthetically pleasing when they were installed, but are now dating parts of the city to the ’70s or ’80s. Like this.
Tastes change rather quickly.
Great idea! Gay st. looks so much better after the streetscaping. I cant wait until those trees mature!
Man, I just typed a bunch and it got deleted. but basically I agree with Motorist. there’s plenty of examples of great concepts in Columbus with terrible execution.
It just seems like we accept that the parking lots are here to stay. Kind of sad that the best we can do is hide them with some bushes.
(sarcasm on) Yeah, why doesn’t somebody OTHER THAN ME buy up these parking lots and build condos with street level retail. I mean, I’ve done my part by posting on a forum, these OTHER people need to do something about it.(sarcasm off)
This is cool. A Brooklyn parking lot becomes a “living room for the neighborhood”
http://www.streetfilms.org/archives/paint-a-parking-lot-put-up-a-paradise/
coolbuckeye Says: It just seems like we accept that the parking lots are here to stay. Kind of sad that the best we can do is hide them with some bushes.
Really? Because I see these improvements as more of a temporary solution to conceal the parking where it still currently exists until a developer comes along that wants to purchase it and build. If you haven’t noticed, there’s BLOCKS of parking being proactively removed (as we speak) with just the Neighborhood Launch and RiverSouth developments.
I imagine that this type of aesthetic improvement and public investment is only going to make these areas more attractive to potential developers.
The NYDOT is currently implementing a huge public space initiative throughout the downtown area converting dozens of parking lots into “plazas” and “pocket parks”. Several roads even have been closed off to traffic, including very soon Time Square, and this is just the beginning for them. Roofs all over are being converted to rooftop gardens and green space. I think it’s great and I wish that would happen more here. It’s just sad to me that not enough people live in the downtown area to keep these public spaces bustling, maybe a few, but not that many.
I agree that these small, inexpensive fixes can go along way in improving the aesthetics of downtown. Sometimes large structural fixes are not the answer, rather small touches that make a large impact have the greatest effect. Cleaning up the streets, adding landscaping and art, changing building facades – all these changes are a great start to improving downtown.
The photoshopped bike racks look great. Would love to see more ideas like that. About the only improvement I would make to that would be to have a locked off bike coral for daily commuters. Keep the sidewalk racks and open garage racks for the quick in and outs.
My vote goes for more landscaping streetscapes rather than art. Landscaping is cheaper and thus you get more bang for your buck, better for the environment (after getting back from Chicago seeing our lack of urban green space is embarrassing), and as joev alluded to earlier – trees, bushes, and flowers never go out of style. I’m sure someone thought that hideous tangle of pipes along the Scioto by the new Rich St. bridge was cool and attractive at one time.
p.s. I’d volunteer my time to help plant and maintain any landscaping – beats real work any day.
Actually, art can be cheap. If we could get local artists to “donate” to the city or sell to the city for a modest price, then we can showcase our local artists while providing exposure to them. I’m talking murals, sculptures, anything goes.