I was researching “Paris height limits” the other day. (I’m heading for the City of Light in February – actually, to “La Defense,” the corporate centre just outside the ring road. Like most places these days, it wants to be more ‘sustainable.’ If you have observations or references about La Defense, send ’em along.)
Anyway … the first item up was, curiously, about Washington, D.C. (another low-lying city influenced in its origins by Paris) – a post by a blogger, KWest, who writes A Portable Snack. Says KWest, unabashedly:
Yeah, I’m pro-development.
But not just any development.
I’m pro-dense, urban, well-designed, well built development.
He was writing about his neighbourhood, Columbia Heights, in the U and 14th area, which I covered extensively in Price Tags 95:
I sent KWest a link, and, since he’s particularly interested in the nature of urban retail, he picked up on the question of how the big-box format can fit into an urban environment. On 14th Street, a major experiment is underway:
Columbia Heights is pushing the boundaries of high-density urbanism by incorporating the big box into village-oriented retail – a Target superstore will be joining other chains in a complex opposite the Metro station.
KWest responded:
There been a lot of negative things said about the big box retailers coming to Columbia Heights, but as it stands now, everyone in the neighborhood who can, drives to Virginia or Maryland to go to Target and TJ Max, so the local retailers are already competing with them. Why not keep the tax revenue in DC and create more employment locally?
And if that echoes the debate over the Canada Tire and Wal-Mart controversy in Vancouver, then here’s his take on gentrification, with an American slant:
And I always find the “condos for the rich” debate silly: the rich don’t set foot in the city unless they have to; middle class two income government worker couples like my wife and I live in the condos.
In DC, there are a lot of politicians (like Marion Barry), the entrenched old-guard (who I consider the actual “conservatives” in our political atmosphere) who don’t want anything to change because it erodes their power base, who make a lot of political hay by pitting the poor against the “yuppies”, the poor against development, the poor against everything.
Which is ashame, since the tax revenue, jobs, and economic opportunity that development brings will benefit the working poor more in the long run than trying to keep it out. But I’m sure it’s the same everywhere.
Food for thought – though I’m sure people will digest it differently. In any event, I’m adding “A Portlable Snack” to my Favourites menu.
Japan has been putting what in North America would be considered “big box” style stores into compact urban spaces for years. Along the pedestrian avenue near where I lived in Kobe, an electronics store similar to Best Buy or Future Shop occupied a store front no larger than 50 ft when seen from the street, yet went up 7 levels and held as much or more merchandise as Best Buy, etc. It had been in operation for years and was always packed with customers from morning to night.
I shudder at calling that development in Washington an “experiment”, as other countries like Japan have been developing this way for years successfully. The truth is that we’ve been either too proud or too blind to look past our own front yard and realize that those who learned from us 100 years ago are now the masters.
KWest brings up something that has been bugging me a lot lately.
On the topic of big box (and other) type stores, he writes: “Why not keep the tax revenue in DC and create more employment locally?”
That’s a great question — for the States, where municipalities have the taxation tools that allow them to keep part of the taxes paid on consumption and even income. Here in Canada, municipalities don’t benefit from this at all: PST goes to the provinces, GST goes to the feds, and income taxes paid by the more numerous workforce in economic boom times? Ditto.
Toronto mayor David Miller, in a Dec.31/07 press release, again called for T.O. to be able to keep 1 percent of the GST paid out within its municipality.
Cities generate much of the economic growth, yet don’t benefit directly — that should really change.
I found La Defense to be both busiest place in Paris (try observing the plaza concourse on a weekday lunch hour with all the people running to and fro) and alternately on a weekend – a peaceful / dead / quiet / reflective space – it all depends on when you are there. The refreshing thing I found about it is the expansive views that you get from the plaza. While there are other plazas in Paris with views (i.e. Trocadero), this one provided relief from the sameness of limestone/sandstone facades throughout the city (and moreso than the Pompidou Centre or Les Halles). The expansiveness of the plaza seemed very “futuristic” and gave you a sense of openness or being away from the City even though you were surrounded by skyscrapers. One thing you may not realize is that there is a massive shopping complex at La Defense called Les Quatre Temps. Apparently, it is/was the largest mall in continental Europe.
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Minneapolis has had a downtown Target store since 2001:
http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200110/09_hughesa_newtarget/
http://www.phototour.minneapolis.mn.us/minneapolis/nicollet_mall/2056