Quote:
Originally Posted by BigKidD
You bring up a good point. The city is somewhat perplexing to me as it has some great qualities, but is somewhat stunted in its development. Even though there are a few notable projects in the pipeline, the pace of development will always seem slow from my West Coast perspective. In the end, the urban core is slowly revitalizing, yet the local mindset needs to change in order for it to be something more in the future.
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Obviously this city develops much slower than on the coasts. Whenever a development gets the go ahead it feels like it takes year for it to actually happen, though I'm sure this is true for most cities. Let me tell you though: the local mindset has already changed. I don't know if you have paid much attention or not, but the overall attitude of the people in this city has changed DRASTICALLY the last 10 years. 10 years ago this city was depressed, with little civic pride or entrepreneurship. It was a mostly lame, aging place. Today it feels as if it is full of young, enthusiastic people. Civic pride is at an all time high. Local businesses are flooding the town, and there is an energy and enthusiasm about the city right now that you can feel in the air. It feels as if it is about to burst.
I mean we finally have a streetcar being built, and we are on the fast track to already expanding it significantly before the tracks have even been laid. This is definitely a changed city my friend.
Btw... that photo link you posted from 1950 of the downtown east side is absolutely mind blowing. For those of you who aren't familiar with the area, literally almost everything in that picture outside of the few skyscrapers have been torn down, and remain down. While the density in the foreground is captivating considering the parking lots that are currently there, the density in the background is the most impressive. Check out the buildings in the neighborhood beyond the skyscrapers. 99% of those don't exist anymore. They are now either an interstate, parking lots, low-rise industrial buildings, or housing projects. It is terribly sad that this part of town has been so decimated.
Oh and btw... that is the legendary 12th street and Vine area in the background. That intersection literally doesn't even exist anymore. I need to find a similar picture for comparison sake.