Author: Emmett O'Connell (Page 117 of 176)

Pete Jackson (man, they make Jacksons in Everett like they make Barclifts in Olympia, I guess) has some good talk about public space. Really good talk:

We know that gathering places aren’t fungible: High-end condos are no substitute for bowling alleys, for Elks lodges, or for good taverns. … So why not employ a soft-power strategy and carrot our way to more gathering places?

Everett already embraces the Growth Management Act as well as the smart-growth rules it learned from Seattle, our rich uncle to the south. In fact, we embrace the rules with a vengeance, extending 10-year property-tax breaks to condos in the downtown core, all aimed at promoting densification.

With the demise of the Elks, we have a chance to magoozle a planning tool that will distinguish Everett and serve as an example to even Seattle: Adopt the goal of “no net loss” of gathering places and figure it as a kind of “communitarian capitalism.”

We can meet a communitarian-capitalist mission by cribbing from our approach to — and stay with me here — wetlands. Just like wetlands, gathering places have a tangible impact, and the solution is to identify meaningful ways to address net loss.

To achieve a no-net-loss objective, cities could offer developers density bonuses if they create gathering places in the downtown core. Put in 3,000 square feet for the people and you can build an additional floor. Simple, direct, practical.

I like Jackson’s idea, it would be great if developers started seeing the good of building into their development public space that could be used by Elk Clubs, local neighborhood groups. It would be even better for local government to build in incentives.

My worry is that the insentive would go the way of the “community room” at the mall, right next door to the toilet. Rather than putting the public space front and center, or even in the central third of any design, it would be shoved off to the side.

And, when talking about encouraging public use of public space, I’m sure we all have something in mind. Its one thing if we build public space, its another thing to actually have it used the way we intended (diverse, vibrant rather than stagnant, unattractive to most or even dangerous). We should build public space with an idea towards how we want it to be used.

Mark Gardener points out that there will soon be more people infiltrating public events by a Washington State congressman.

How does one infiltrate a public event? Shouldn’t public events be open to anyone, even folks who live outside a particular district?

Anyway, there was an interesting piece in Dear Abby last week that got me thinking about public spaces, and especially the recent dependence of groups on restaraunts and coffee shops as meeting space.

Here:

I work at one of the nicer, upscale restaurants in our small community. We have been having an issue with groups or committees of anywhere from four to 15 people coming into the establishment to hold their meetings. These groups frequently arrive at normal evening dinner times and therefore take up a table, but the attendees don’t order anything.

Abby responds that the manager should set a minimum order policy and then take care of things, but that avoids the question about available space in their “small community.” If groups and committees are taking to this restaurant for their meetings, I’m assuming their is a shortage of otherwise free or cheap meeting space in that town.

A lot of the meetups I’ve been attending the last few years have been at restaurants. One particular uncomfortable one happened when the manager and staff clearly felt like the above letter writer.

Abby referred to these meeting folks as “freeloaders,” which is a bit unfair. They aren’t trying to get food for free, their just trying to meet in some place outside their home.

In Olympia, at least, there is a dearth of free (or very cheap) meeting space for folks to come together. Outside of commercial establishments, there is a lack of informal “third spaces” as well. That there are folks that still want to get together in most communities, this lack of other space is being forced upon restaurants.