RFP Staff
♦ Many of us recognize from our visits to other small cities around North Carolina and across the nation that successful small cities grow when economic development is allowed to flourish on the perimeters of an urban area. Putting a focus on beautifying the downtown area, like the failed experiment in Salisbury, has a very poor track record. This approach fell out of favor in the late 90’s–it stunted growth. Trying to control how a city grows by shaping what it looks like doesn’t work. The old models for small cities, with a downtown business core, doesn’t pull the plow.
While the proposed Salisbury Centerpiece Project may line favored pockets, it won’t attract people to downtown Salisbury and stands an excellent chance of becoming another “Needle Park”. Seriously folks they’ll have to build a police substation manned 24-7 to keep spent syringes from littering the “Centerpiece”. This is Salisbury. The Centerpiece would make a great public lounging area just like that walk-down fountain park by the East Innes Bridge.
Here are some stimulating readings:
http://www.citylab.com/design/2013/08/most-famous-models-how-cities-grow-are-wrong/6414/
http://www.wired.com/2012/02/bruce-katz/
