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Dayton and the Creative Class

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     Last night, Richard Florida (American economist and urban studies theorist) spoke at Wright

State University.  His book Rise of the Creative Class was one of the things that inspired me to get more involved with urban advocacy.  Yes, I am included in that creative class group – I’m in my 30’s, I am an entrepreneur, I work with technology, I live downtown, I enjoy coffee shops, I go to the theater.  But that isn’t what Florida’s "Creative Class" is all about, despite what many people believe.  No matter what your profession, if you frequently express yourself either through art, music, writing (even bloggers), acting, etc., then you are in fact creative and thus in this group.  If you work at a job where you use your mind to create – whether that is at a software company or a manufacturing plant where your input leads to process improvement – you are in the creative group.  The point is, many people think of this "creative class" idea and think that it only applies to high tech people or artists.  Those "yuppie types" as I’ve heard some people say.  But as Florida spoke last night, he emphasized the fact that this class of people is not very exclusive; most of us are indeed creative and thus are part of this group.

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Bohemian Today, High-Rent Tomorrow

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Anybody that has been to a major city has noticed the significant number of art galleries, live theaters and live music venues that exist in these cities’ urban cores.  These creative types typically live in areas where their surroundings are condusive to their creativity.  Edgy urban neighborhoods filled with eclectic people, historic or funky architecture, and other things that are not bland attract artists, who in turn make these neighborhoods even more diverse and eclectic.  Eventually, hip professionals both young and old start to move in as they are attracted by the same things that the artists are.  But when they start to move in, something happens – demand (and thus prices) begin to go up.

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New Edwin C. Moses Bridge – which do you prefer?

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The City of Dayton is soliciting feedback on the design of the Edwin C. Moses bridge.  The bridge type, lighting, railing, and color options for the new Edwin C. Moses Bridge over Wolf Creek are presented here.

Please indicate which design options you prefer.  The City would like feedback by mid-February; it should be sent to Keith Steeber.  Also, we’d like to hear your thoughts here as well – please comment below…

(Photos below – click to enlarge)

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Cities rediscover allure of streetcars

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There has been much talk about Dayton’s electric trolleys as of late.  And though the local media has reported that the RTA is considering the possibility of getting rid of the trolleys because of their maintenance expense, RTA officials insist that this is not necessarily true, and that they are simply analyzing all aspects of their operations to determine how best to manage their budget.

This is happening at a time that cities elsewhere in the country are rediscovering the allure of the streetcar, which were popular a century ago.  Unlike buses (which are unfortunately viewed as transportation for lower-income folks in many cities like Dayton), the streetcar is considered to have a sense of nostalgia, and are being brought back in cities in order to connect recently revitalized urban neighborhoods and districts.  Dayton and its sea of revitalization islands might want to consider a similiar project.  Heck, we already have the electric cables in place.  And it would be yet one more thing that can’t be found in the suburbs.  What do you think?

Link: Cities rediscover allure of streetcars – USATODAY.com.
By Haya El Nasser, USA TODAY

The streetcars that rumbled and clanged through many American cities from the late 1800s until World War II helped shape neighborhoods. More than a half-century later, streetcars are coming back and reviving the same neighborhoods they helped create.

Several cities have resurrected the streetcar tradition and about three dozen others plan to

NCR to spin off Teradata

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Well this was just a matter of time.  Let’s hope that the city of Dayton is in the running for the location of the new company, and then let’s hope that the city does everything it can do to keep the company here.

Link: NCR to spin off Teradata – Dayton Business Journal:.

NCR Corp. is spinning off its data warehousing business as a separate publicly-traded company.

The new company, to be called Teradata, had $1.5 billion in revenue in 2005 and operating income of $309 million before pension expense.

Washington Plans $25M Project To Bring Back Its Trolley Cars

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As the Greate Dayton RTA considers getting rid of our electric trolleys because of their expense, other cities are bringing them back. I hope that the RTA reconsiders and looks at ways to not only keep our trolleys but actually expand the program with better marketing. I don’t think many Daytonians realize the history behind our trolleys or the fact that Dayton is one of only a handful of American cities that still have them.

Like mounted police (which the city did away with years ago because of expense), things like trolleys and streetcars help make a city unique and add to the experience of being downtown. It is time for the city to really consider putting money into these kinds of things as our downtown continues to see more people and development.

By DANIEL J. GOLDSTEIN and ARENA WELCH
Bloomberg News
December 28, 2006
Link: Washington Plans $25M Project To Bring Back Its Trolley Cars – December 28, 2006 – The New York Sun.

Washington residents cheered the return of professional baseball to the American capital last year after a 33-year absence. Soon, they’ll be able to look back to the future again.

The city is planning a $25 million project to bring back the trolley cars that last rumbled along its streets during the Kennedy administration…

Dogs – the secret to a successful downtown

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Many of the people that live in my downtown neighborhood (Cooper Place, Cooper Lofts, Ice Lofts) own a dog.  Some even have two.  Now, I may be biased (that is my "best friend" Cody on the right), but I believe that cities that are dog-friendly are cities that are successful.  Why are dogs so important to the vitality of an urban neighborhood?  Why are so many cities developing ways to attract even more dog owners?

When you live anywhere – a suburban house or urban condo – you have the choice to sit inside or go out and interact with your neighborhood.  And it doesn’t matter where you live – today’s electronic entertainment options (300 channels, internet, video games, etc.) make it pretty easy to just stay inside – especially when it is raining or cold.  But if you have a dog and you live in an urban neighborhood, you have to go outside at least a couple times a day.  This fact has many positive effects on a neighborhood.

For one, when you have a dog you feel safer walking around downtown and you will more likely explore different routes that you might not otherwise try.  (When you have to walk the dog, it becomes quite boring doing the same old route every day).  While exploring different routes, you may discover something that you didn’t know about before – a shop, a restaurant, a nice park, etc.  And as you get to know your city more by exploring it, you will be more likely to use the things you find, even when you don’t have your dog in tow.  (or in my case, dog has me in tow)

Dog walkers tend to be more vigilant about things happening in their neighborhood.  If they see something going on that shouldn’t be, they are more likely to call the police.  After all, they have to make this walk no matter what, so they sure aren’t going to ignore things that make the walk less enjoyable.

Finally, the more people you have walking down the street, the more lively and attractive that street becomes, which encourages more people to join in.  When people see dog-walkers, they are made even more comfortable by the normality of seeing people walking dogs.  When you see people walking dogs, it tells you that it is a safe community that people do live in.

What can Dayton do to promote dog owners to live in urban Dayton?  Well, for one – it would be nice to have an urban dog park where dogs can run freely as their owners socialize with other dog people.  It has the same effect that dog walking has, but helps even more to build a community.  Anybody that has been to Schiller Park in the German Village neighborhood of Columbus can attest to that.  This is hard to accomplish in downtown because of all of the traffic, but in some of the historic neighborhoods it is definitely doable.  Some parks should have leash-law exemptions to promote the use of the parks by dogs and their owners.

What are some examples that you know of that Dayton could emulate?  What are your ideas or comments on this?

Robotic Parking – Automated Parking – Automatic Parking – Secure Parking – Gerhard Haag

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Here is a fantastic idea that solves many of our downtown parking problems – Robotic Parking garages. Click on the link below to check out the website, or click here to view a video (from CNN). The advantages are:

– You can fit more cars in the garage because there is no need for ramps or significant space between cars.
– It is 100% secure because nobody has access to the car storage area; you can even leave your keys in the car!
– It eliminates the need to walk through a parking garage, which can be scary at night or if you are alone.
– It is exactly like having a valet, but no need to tip

Hey Dayton planners – perhaps you can look into this before building that next parking garage. This is the kind of thing that not only offers a better solution to parking, but also adds to the “cool” factor that would increase Downtown Dayton’s appeal.

Link: Robotic Parking – Automated Parking – Automatic Parking – Secure Parking – Gerhard Haag.