Buffalo has a subway. (?!)

Yep. A 6.8 mile subway down Main Street that comes above ground in the Theater District.  They are reconstructing Main Street to again accommodate cars and the rail would function like a street car.

Buffalo, NY

I have an infatuation with Rust Belt cities. I think it stems from the fact that I did my undergrad in Steubenville, Ohio. An old steel mill town 40 miles west of Pittsburgh. Rust Belt towns fascinate me because you can see in the homes and the beautiful old buildings how wealthy these places used to be. And I wonder: Could these places be prosperous again? Some Rust Belt towns seem to have gotten their acts together and stabilized their populations after decades of population loss.  I'll be attending a conference in Buffalo, NY next month so I'm very excited to see how this particular Rust Belt city is reinventing itself.

This is a great video about Buffalo. It seems like a place that is still worth caring about.

Magnolia Park

Magnolia Park is one of several charming neighborhoods in Burbank, California. I like this picture for a couple reasons. First, someone is taking a picture that they likely uploaded to Instagram or Facebook so the other perspective of this shot is online somewhere. Second, rather than placing the tables, chairs, and umbrellas against the window of the cafe the business owner chose to place then in the very generous public right-of-way. This is less of an intrusion into where people walk, but it also brings the action further into the public realm. Notice also how the parked cars provide a protective buffer between the traffic on the street and the people sitting down. The tree well is very large to accommodate the root system of the enormous ficus tree which, although it grows quick;y and provides a dense tree canopy is probably not the best choice for a street tree.

How to Treat a Corner

These two buildings sit across the street from each other at an intersection in Little Italy, San Diego. One of these buildings has a relationship with the street and sidewalk, it is accessible from the sidewalk, and it brings life to the neighborhood with outdoor dining and a fountain. The office building is walled off from the intersection. There are no entrances on this side of the building except for a garage entry. The mirrored windows prevent even a visual connection to the rest of the neighborhood from either side of the glass. The building on the left seems more likely than the other to contribute to making the neighborhood a place worth a caring about.

Is your neighborhood a great place?

The American Planning Association recently announced their 2013 list of Great Places in America. Grand Park in my city of Los Angeles was named a Great Public Space for 2013. The picture below is the fountain in Grand Park with city hall in the back ground.

Check the list to see if your street, neighborhood or public space make the cut this year.