phantom tollbooths in Davis Sq. ...

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

apropos of nothing and not a serious proposal but I was thinking about sales taxes last night, the discussion of tolls on 93 south and something to do with all the border violence going on in the world these days. Suddenly I had this image of tollbooths/checkpoints on the roads entering Davis Sq. Weird but interesting to speculate on.

The growth in popularity of the sq. has brought higher rents and housing prices, higher prices in stores and bars and general gentrification. The city of Somerville and the property owners benefit but the residents don't. Would be interesting to have a toll that went to offset the costs of gentrification to people who actually live here.

Comments

A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[turil.livejournal.com]

Studies have shown that businesses (and certainly residential areas as well) function best when traffic is going at about 3 miles per hour. A walking pace, essentially. In light of that, I have often wished (and said so in a city sponsored public forum) that Davis Square should be turned into a pedestrian area, where cars were the exception, not the rule, like has been successfully done in Downtown Crossing (where motor vehicles are discouraged, but allowed on an as needed basis, and motorists are expected to give priority to all non-motorized traffic). A "Pedestrianized Zone" if you will...

Imagine being able to get from the Somerville Theater to Brooks without spending ten minutes waiting for a walk signal or being honked at for having the audacity to cross the street in a crosswalk, or negotiating the obstacle course that is the many double parked cars and delivery vehicles and swerving buses driven by happried bus drivers. It's good for business, it's good for residents, it's good for visitors, and it's safer and healthier. Once suburbanized people get over the knee jerk reaction of the idea of not being able to take their cars wherever the hell they want, they will find that this is a far more wonderful way to live. And if they still find that they don't appreciate the human pace of a thriving urban area, then they can move back out into the sprawling suburbs and everyone will be happy!

I'm guessing that this is something for a fairly distant future, but it may happen sooner than many expect and may even happen quite naturally due to market forces and the necessary restructuring of the transportion systems that will have to come with a crash in the oil-based economy.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[komos.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure that Downtown Crossing is exactly the shining example you want to bring up. It was a fairly sketchy area throughout the 90s, and was dangerous enough that a police presence was placed smack in the center of it. It's only been through a concerted effort aimed at revitalization that it has improved, and even with that, there are still plenty of empty storefronts and some notable business closings.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[ron_newman]

Right now, Downtown Crossing is suffereing from an event that is beyond local control -- the corporate merger of Federated and May department store chains, resulting in the closing of Filene's. Before that was announced, it seemed to be doing pretty well.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[komos.livejournal.com]

The merger is only one part of the problem, though. Every one of the avant-garde art displays represents an empty storefront. There's a failed mall that has been empty since it opened and then closed. There are rumors of Barnes & Nobles closing. Similarly, other stores that were originally geared to casual walkthrough traffic are being retooled as mattress vendors. What it has going for it is the systematic construction of luxury condos, the occasional big budget projects like the Opera House (which was entirely empty throughout the 90s...), and a captive audience represented by the thousands of office workers who work nearby.

I think it's easy to exagerate the pedestrian-friendly nature of the area, too. That's changed enough that I've seen police officers in their cruisers openly haranguing pedestrians for "not using the sidewalks." Yes, it's still a limited traffic area, but its status as such didn't really help it in the slump of the 90s and what recovery there has been can be attributed to other factors.

Re: Barnes & Noble

[ron_newman]

More than a rumor, unfortunately. Barnes & Noble did close on June 30.

Ironically, its opening in the late 1970s, in a former WT Grant department store, was considered a sign of Downtown Crossing's health at the time. I think it was the first B&N outside New York City.

The store was out of date and getting pretty dowdy, overshadowed by both the gleaming Borders two blocks away, and the new B&N at the Prudential Center.

Re: Barnes & Noble

[komos.livejournal.com]

Huh. I suppose that's what I get for taking the side streets in. ;P

I think, though, that "out of date" and "pretty dowdy" describe a problem that may be general to the area. There have been some attempts to modernize, but it's been with mixed results. Since I'm down here every day, I'd like to be able to say that it's a great shining example of successful urban development, but the pessimist in me thinks that it will be years of increasingly mixed results that may hinge on the success or failure of luxury housing being put up.

Re: Barnes & Noble

[turil.livejournal.com]

Mixed use is definitely necessary for that area. The other problem is the lack of a grocery store. Maybe the Barnes and Noble could be turned into a Trader Joes...

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[turil.livejournal.com]

Oh, and I think you are right that it's becoming less pedestrianized these days, defeating the whole purpose kinda...

As I said, when done right, it's a big improvement to an area. Obviously, when done wrong or halfassedly, it can hurt an area.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[ron_newman]

There is no good reason for police cruisers to be in Downtown Crossing at all -- or in Davis Square, for that matter. These areas should be patrolled on foot.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[komos.livejournal.com]

If it's not the cruisers, it's the ambulances. If it's not the ambulances, it's the delivery trucks. If it's not the delivery trucks, it's a whole host of otherwise motorized traffic that needs to be dodged. It's not Tremont Street by any stretch, but it definitely doesn't have the same feel as a pedestrian-only area.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[turil.livejournal.com]

But Downtown Crossing was far sketchier before the pedestrianization of the area! So too were there plenty of store closings and empty storefronts before the rezoning. So the area has improved immensely and Davis Square is aready starting ahead of the game, by being such a thriving community. Imagine what it would be like if it always had officially sanctioned live music, independent and local artists selling their wares at bull market carts, and small commercial ventures selling their services (massages!) like happens during Art Beat. How about farmers/produce markets every day like in Downtown Crossing? How about public bulletin boards, interactive computer maps of the area, and public wifi? How about supervised playgrounds where parents can let their kids (or dogs!) play while they shop.

Theres a really wonderful movement called street reclaiming (http://www.lesstraffic.com/Programs/SR/SR.htm) that is being spurred on by a fascinating man from Australia. He invisions beautiful streetscapes that inspire and intregue both residents and visitors to a neighborhood, based on research in successful small towns and cities, mostly in old world Europe, where the quality of life is high, and the pace of life is slow.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[komos.livejournal.com]

I'm not saying that these are not good ideas. What I am saying is that Downtown Crossing may not be the best example since it's not nearly as vibrant a place as it was in the late 80s despite its pushcarts and pedestrians. I'm also saying that whatever "recovery" - assuming that we want to call it that - it's been going through of late is attributable to things other than it being a limited traffic area.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[brianbeck.livejournal.com]

I think street reclaiming is fantastic. Coming from Dublin, where many streets in the city center are closed to traffic after 11am (deliveries only), the success of this initiative is astounding.

Temple Bar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Bar,_Dublin
Grafton street: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grafton_Street,_Dublin

People want to be in an area that is car free -free to stroll with their children and friends without the risk of being run over and subject to noise and pollution. They closed off Elm at Dunkin' Donuts due to an accident where an old lady was run over by a bus some time back and the silence was palpable. It was great to wander the possibilities.

I was also in Brugges in Belgium where the entire town center is closed to traffic and people really love living there. You have to see it to appreciate what is possible.

Many business owners in Davis are against the idea of a traffic free Davis because they fear business will suffer. Indeed, many lose appreciable business on Artbeat day. Unless they can be convinced that a pedestrianised Davis can bring more business, it will be a tough fight!

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

Brugges is awesome! I lived there for a few months. But it's not exactly a model for an American urban city

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[turil.livejournal.com]

"But it's not exactly a model for an American urban city"

Why not?

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

Well, because it's a tiny medival town with 100% zoning restrictions

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[turil.livejournal.com]

You don't think that the theory, if not the details, could be translated to a tiny city center like Davis?

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[turil.livejournal.com]

Wow! Thanks for those wonderful links about Ireland. I hadn't heard of those places (well, not the ones in Ireland anyway!), though I have seen ones in Holland and in Burlington Vermont. And, now that I think of it, Quincy Market in Boston is actually a great example (better than the, admittedly, slipping area of Downtown Crossing) of a pedestrianized area that works well. Obviously, businesses in Davis wouldn't want to focus so narrowly on tourist traps like they do in Quincy Market...

I wonder if a study about transportation choices in Davis might be helpful. It could be sponsored by the city itself, or maybe by the Davis Square Task Force, with the collaboration of Steve Winslow, Somerville's Pedestrian Coordinator. I bet many business owners are unaware of the very low number of people shopping via car in Davis. I also would point out that one reason businesses lose customers during Art Beat is the traffic jams (I'm talking about pedestrian traffic of course, not car traffic) and the booths blocking access to the sidewalks. A better layout for bull market carts and such would clearly be essential to allow good access to all stores.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[artic-monkeys.livejournal.com]

how about raising the costs of parking meters in the Square? This will generate more income for the city. And give people an incentive to choose public transportation.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[an-art-worker.livejournal.com]

But as you say - that is income "for the city" - it has no benefit to us minions (cool people who cause others to flock to wherever we are... lol). The issue of traffic congestion is a bit separate from my initial post about somehow "trickling down" the popularity of the sq. to thos of us who for one reason or another have been here a long time and still rent.

On a separate note @ meters: anyone know the deal with Gargoyles taking over that little parking lot behind the liquor store after 8 pm? It's been that way for years and I always wondered if they were paying or if it was some kind of glad-handing.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[artic-monkeys.livejournal.com]

The city generates $13,000 in library fines, $40,000 in ordinance violations and licenses like the liquor license but 6 or 7 million in parking fees and fines. They can fund city services with this revenue and keep property taxes down. Keeping rents down.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[ron_newman]

I think it's actually the other way around -- the lot is privately owned, but leased to the city for public metered parking before 8 pm.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[csbermack.livejournal.com]

IIRC, somerville just did a pilot of that. More for increasing turnover in the parking spaces, I think. They lowered the prices after the pilot program.

Re: A healthy commercial district is a slow district

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

If they could just slow traffic down, a LOT, through the business district, I think it would help. Like putting up some pedestrian-controlled stoplights (especially at the corner where Brooks is) - you know, those lights that only change when someone pushes a button. Or big speed humps where all the crosswalks are. Or all of the above. I think these were questions I raised when I did my Davis Square study, and if I recall correctly (probably not), changing the speed of traffic through the Square would be fairly complicated, because the roads going through are considered . . . some term I forget, which basically boils down to, "We want to keep traffic moving at X rate, so, um, sorry, pedestrians, and we'd have to get permission from a whole big list of agencies to do it, so it's just too much hassle." *sigh*