I've been going through the my city photos page & saw 3 different threads on SF. one of them highlights the union sq area.......
geomorph
as with pershing sq, union sq in sf also is built above an underground parking lot. Although its redesign of a few yrs ago is quite lacking in shade & greenery, it nonetheless appears to be well used by a variety of ppl. I'm not that impressed with its design, since it looks hard edged & too non traditional compared with the old world design of its centerpiece, the statue on the tall column. there is no lack of concrete or hard paved surfaces in it. But ppl in sf have voted with their feet & they appear willing to hang out in union sq.
this is another reason why I believe some ppl over emphasize design---good or bad----as the answer to what ails pershing sq or dtla in general, or the reason why things don't add up right. I don't totally disagree with that POV, it's just that I think it doesn't answer all the questions when it's not placed in full context.
the main reason why I think Pershing sq & the hood overall doesn't connect the way it should, or isn't bustling the way it could? LA lost too much $$ a loong time ago, inc ppl who ran to the burbs. DT never had enough ppl & businesses with $$ to begin with, so when it fell apart over 50 yrs ago, it really fell apart.
Then too many slumlords or owners desperate to make a fast buck----& the type of ppl they feed off of----became the mainstay of DT.
I notice in pics of SF there are many old beaux arts bldgs that are in great shape, even sparkling clean & almost like new. I'm amazed at how few, or almost none of them (at least in pics) are decrepit & filthy the way so many old bldgs still are in LA, esp around broadway.
So I'm not gonna gripe about devlprs of new projs like the metropolis when it's really the ppl who own battered old bldgs in dt----& aren't doing a damn thing to improve their part of the hood----that deserve everyone's
.
as for whether parks all by themselves really are such a magic bullet, & since you refer to the new park (or "civic space") between the music ctr & city hall.....
brigham has said on many occasions that the new civic ctr park will remain at a disadvantage as long as it's surrounded by govt bldgs. While I understand where he's coming from, I also have to point out.....
the existence of a very nice, very green, & fairly large park near his part of town: the park on Fair Oaks blvd at Del Mar in pasadena. Unlike Pershing or Union sq, that park is mostly lawn with trees, surrounded by a generally nice hood, a few blocks south of old town pasadena. It's totally visible from the streets that surround it on 4 sides.
I have a friend who lives in that area, & as we drove by the park on Fair Oaks on Thursday, she mentioned that it wasn't as popular as one would think it would be. She told me that there are many times throughout the day when she'll pass by & see very few to almost no one in the park.
so, again, design is only
ONE factor that has to be considered when trying to figure out why something is successful or not. Or the existence of friendly open spaces---meaning parks or publics squares---may not be as crucial to a hood as other things are or as some believe they are.
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