As far as Canadian cities, they have people in their downtowns. So while generic sprawl exists there and it looks just like northern Columbus, there are still active downtowns and not nearly as much has been lost.

I don’t think he meant to imply that someone from Europe would not have a good time visiting Easton. Most anyone who goes to Easton is going to enjoy themselves. As far as fake towns go, it is very nice with plenty to do. I don’t think that was his point.

I think that he may have been saying that some Europeans may have an appreciation for their culture’s long history of creating a public realm that is lasting, beautiful, vibrant and worth caring about. Contrast that with Columbus, where the modern public realm is largely disposable. If the current pattern continues, the day is coming when we will abandon Easton for something else – just like we did with the Continent.

Personally, I don’t find much consolation in the fact that Easton is a better form of a disposable shopping district than a traditional shopping mall. Considering what we have sacrificed in order to have places like Easton and Polaris, it all seems pretty much the same to me.

I don’t mean to sound all negative, but I guess this is one area where I feel pretty strongly that our culture is making a big mistake. I think Europeans might be more likely to see this than the average American who has been raised exclusively in the car culture, so I think I understand what Columbusite was getting at.

Columbusite wrote I really doubt that any European would rather turn their city into a parking lot and have a fake one miles outside in a grassfield.

I doubt most people (whether they’re American or European or from any other continent) really spend much time thinking about history and/or “what could have been” when they’re out to shop at a place like Easton.

Just because you or I might think about how much cooler it would be to have Easton downtown, doesn’t mean it’s the norm in any other culture.

Columbusite wrote Oh and it’s not just Europeans, though I use them as an example because I spent a lot of time there. I’d rather we were a lot more like Canadians. Go visit some Canadian downtowns and then ours.

care to elaborate? i’m curious as to what makes canadian downtowns something to aspire to.

mellotron wrote

Columbusite wrote Especially if the visitor was from Europe, I’d be too embarassed to show them what we traded a real city for.

I’ve been thinking about this little sidebar for a couple days, and had to respond. I think the anecdotes people gave effectively rebuted this

I really doubt that any European would rather turn their city into a parking lot and have a fake one miles outside in a grassfield. When you factor that in, and how could you not, it is embarassing. I’m checking out a couple of photo books of old Columbus and it’s just frustrating to see what we traded our beautiful, pedestrian friendly buildings for.

Their Columbus nods include COSI, The Short North, Jeni’s @ The North Market, CBC, and Festival Latino.

Really? That’s it? :?

mellotron wrote But to elevate the people there to some higher level simply because fate placed them there is hardly warranted. I, for one, enjoy the challenge of being part of the generation that will be driving Columbus’ urban environment. :wink:

I agree with both of these sentiments. I think it’s easy to give credit, or form a belief, about the whole, especially when it comes to “Europe” and “Europeans.” I’ve often wondered about this tendancy and why it happens. Because I think in the end, there are just as many people in europe who exhibit the same or similar negative tendancies as people in the US. But for some reason Europe gets overly idealized.

More importantly however, I second the last statement. I feel, as I know a large % of people on this board do, that we stand at the edge of something potentially great for columbus. And I’m excited to be in a position to help drive and shape that something.

Sorry for digressing; to bring it full circle, I will say that pretty much everything i’d list in my own top10 has already been mentioned.

Columbusite wrote Especially if the visitor was from Europe, I’d be too embarassed to show them what we traded a real city for.

I’ve been thinking about this little sidebar for a couple days, and had to respond. I think the anecdotes people gave effectively rebuted this, but I think it’s interesting to consider why our guts sometimes tell us that Europeans do everything better.

But in my experience, the Europeans I’ve worked with are really just not that much different than us. They rent when they’re single, are more urban at the time, and when they finally get married and start a family they buy out in the country. There’s a McDonald’s in any big city, and tourists aren’t the only customers. They have WalMart. And they still flock to L.A., probably the antithesis of European cities.

I mean, on this website we are skewed because we have a disproportionate interest in urban planning and are conscious of its ramifications on a regular basis. I think many people here would be surprised just how many “average joes” there are in Europe that board public transportation just cuz it’s there as opposed to having an air of “mixed-use, pro-environmental, pro-density” each time they step onto a train.

My point is, I admire Europe immensely and think we can learn a lot from their cities. But to elevate the people there to some higher level simply because fate placed them there is hardly warranted. I, for one, enjoy the challenge of being part of the generation that will be driving Columbus’ urban environment. :wink:

columbusguy20 wrote 5. our freeways (I-270/OH 161 construction zone, the new I-670, the downtown split at rush hour, I-71 coming north from Grove City which has an awesome view of the city, I-270/OH 315/North High Street at evening rush hour, I-270 by Easton)

Ugh. Sitting in rush hour traffic? I don’t think our traffic is anything worth seeing. :lol: Or at least maybe I just don’t think it’s worth it for $3.29 a gallon.

gikim1118 wrote Well, instead of places, I’m going to post my favorite events since everyone pretty much covered everything.

Ha! That was actually going to be the next one of these Top 10s. ;)