Saturday, November 27, 2010

Back in Action..Thinking of Scale in Redevelopment

Back in Action after a break (honeymoon!)

Missed the Big Tomato while away but it is great to get out, look around and come home.  Mostly, my trips help me think about what Sacramento does right, what is done better elsewhere and what we can do as a City moving forward.

I was thinking (seeing the Seattle skyline recently) that we have a defined skyline that is scaled so perfectly for our city.  The notion of trying to build a larger building (or buildings) to dwarf all others Downtown and now in West Sacramento is daft - We are lucky to have a digestible, touchable downtown that is not overwhelming by size or by attitude and it is something I appreciate more and more in Sacramento.




During my 15 months of living in Petaluma in the North Bay, I really appreciated how the historic development of downtown and the new areas of redevelopment fit so seamlessly together.  It is better to have redevelopment happen on a scale that mixes well with the historic fabric of a downtown then to overwhelm it, push it aside or create two separate (and unequal) downtowns that compete against each other and hurt a community - not help it at all. 



Scale matters in buildings and in what we are trying to accomplish for economic success and the regeneration of a Downtown we can work in, live in and enjoy for fun too. Downtown Santa Cruz has been recreated from the destruction experienced in the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake and the concentrated redevelopment on a block-by-block basis in Downtown Santa Cruz has created a mix of smaller retail (both local business and some chains too - so it isn't an all or nothing proposition) stores, restaurants and coffeehouses. 

We need to work on redevelopment in the same matter and quit chasing the one-shot big fish and the huge project that will change everything and somehow redefine us.  Sacramento has some amazing retailers and unique businesses we need to help grow and support - and that will help make us different then the surrounding suburban malls for a unique retail experience that fits into the existing fabric of historical buildings and businesses throughout our City!

What do you think????

No comments:

Post a Comment