Tuesday, June 12, 2012

"It is common for developers to argue that they are creating new public spaces where none existed before."


As Jeff reminded us last week, if the River View development comes to fruition, not only will it result in a prime piece of downtown "public space" being transferred to private interests, but the long-promised "public plaza" component of River View will have been much reduced, and lack a view of the river itself.

River View? Not from this development.

Why is it that the project's supporters, from Develop New Albany on down, never address the privatization-of-public-space angle of this proposal?

Public spaces in Britain's cities fall into private hands; Projects such as London's new outdoor space, Granary Square at King's Cross, favour business over community, say critics, by Jeevan Vasagar (guardian.co.uk)

 ... Politicians of all stripes acknowledge the importance of making people feel part of a functioning community. Boris Johnson has spoken of putting "the village back into the city".

At a public meeting last year, the mayor of London said: "It's not a concept that I find people readily grasp but what I want is an atmosphere of trust and neighbourliness and a village atmosphere in parts of our city."

But villages always included commonly owned public land, Heath said. "In the archetypal feudal village there was always that space of common land where everyone had the right to graze their pigs and behave in a sensible way. There wasn't the sense this was the feudal landlord's land. This was common land."

2 comments:

SBAvanti63 said...

Because it's "Develop" New Albany - not "Preserve" New Albany. Public space does not create opportunities for new businesses, offices, etc. Green provides no "green" for dues.

w&la said...

I disagree. Check the prices of real estate next to Central Park in Manhattan.

The counterpoint of green space makes "new businesses, offices, etc." you mention worth much more than the parking lot upon parking lot development mentality.

And it doesn't have to be green. Have you ever taken the Chris-Craft mahogany water taxis at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas?

Back to Manhattan's Central Park - if the "highest and best use" of that 843 acres was commercial development, you can rest assured it would be bulldozed immediately.

"Green" does apparently provide "'green' for dues" or Central park would be skyscrapers and streets by now.