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Originally Posted by citywatch
at the same time, alki, I can say that your believing good design---or just design per se----is the answer to what hurts some proj or area also is fanatical. And I don't even disagree with the notion that design is an important part of the whole. but it's only ONE part.
My pointing out all the parking lots also was to emphasize that the hood still doesn't have as much good housing as it could, or as it needs. I wasn't even focusing on those lots being a turn off to ppl who walk around or next to them & therefore won't be as enthusiastic about strolling around the hood in general.
there also are a few public areas in dt that are better designed & more inviting than Pershing Sq, but they aren't necessarily any more popular with ppl. Some have cited the small public space west of the entrance to the Central Library as an example of a nicely arranged space, which it is. But other than customers using the adjoining restaurant, I don't know if lots of ppl have been any more likely to gather----or hang out----around there than elsewhere. I won't point to the friendly looking grand hope park directly west of the Fashion Institute cuz urbanists can say that space isn't heavily used due to it being surrounded by a gate.
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Brigham did a video when he was in NYC.........I can't remember if I saw it here or on his website but he was in a small park in Manhattan. There were a few people in the park but it hardly looked packed with people. During a work day, there are not a lot of people who can sit around a public park or square and contemplate their life. Given the number of people in Manhattan, Central Park ain't that busy during the week. On weekends, its a different story.
And then with PS, there was the problem with the homeless and the drug trafficking.....esp. at nite. It doesn't sound like that's completely gone. People get intimidated by that kind of stuff.
So yeah, more people living downtown may help fill DTLA's public spaces but maybe not as much as you might think.
My attitude about DTLA is make it as attractive as you would want your DT to be.....and they will come.
Quote:
Originally Posted by citywatch
However, I was thinking about the new restaurant & lounge that opened recently on top of a bldg next to Pershing Sq. I was wondering how common or unique that particular type of setup is in other cities, esp where there are alot of highrises.
I was thinking how the owner will have a tough time being in the black during all the wks or months when it's wet or too cold. it then suddenly occurred to me that LA doesn't even have a fraction as many days of rain & really cold weather---much less snow---as cities like NY or chicago do. Even SF has enough fog & chilliness to make the idea of an outdoor rooftop restaurant & lounge not an easy sell, or ideal for profitability. So would the concept of the Perch restaurant do well in places that have weather similar to that of Seattle? Possibly. But if making enough $$ will go downward for the owner during times of rain & cold in LA, then it will be even tougher for businesses in cities without a Mediterranean type climate.
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That new restaurant is fairly unique. It happens in other cities but not that frequently for a whole host of reasons. But yeah, LA's climate really lends itself to that type of restaurant as well as sidewalk cafes. That was the irony when I moved to LA. Here was this city with the perfect Mediterranean climate and it had hardly any sidewalk cafes. Of course, that changed while I lived there.
The only problem I see with that restaurant....and its really a minor problem.........is that it loses the advantage of drop in customers off the street. You are totally dependent on good word of mouth. As for the winter months, all you would need is an awning and heaters.
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