No One Lives in La Villita.

With being active and working long hours, I rarely have time to catch up on the news.  So it's sad that I came across this story from the Rivard Report only now that was written back in February.  I forgot who shared it on Facebook or who tweeted it, but I read it and I can't believe that I missed such news on La Villita.

According to the commentary quote:

"All reports concluded that re-imagining the retail mix and the quality of goods and services, improving infrastructure, programming public spaces, and better marketing were equally necessary. In short, La Villita is a historic treasure, but much is needed to bring it up to 21st century retail standards. We agree."

So the problem seems to be that not enough people are coming in.  It's walkable, it's quaint an such a nice place, so why aren't people coming in?  The answer to that isn't because there's no coffee shop with wifi, it is because there's no people living there.  Now I'm not saying destroy a few historic buildings and build a apartment complex, I'm saying that no body lives there and we're currently treating it like a suburban mall.  So like every other suburban malls, it has a bunch of vacancies and eventually even the kiddos stop hanging out and the mall closes.  You can point to the success of North Star and Wonderland, but those are the exceptions, not the rule.

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As you look on Google Maps, (Image 47-1) you see an area surrounded by parking lots, those dead areas where we store our motor vehicles.  This is why they're referred to as Parking Craters by advocates like me, because they're a blight on the urban landscape.  This is one of the main reasons why people aren't going there. It's because it is so far away from where they live and there's these wide stroads surrounding it such as S Alamo.  As long as we have this undeveloped spaces being used as blighted storage areas called parking lots, the problems will continue with the historic downtown and downtown viability as a whole.  Because if you don't live there, you have no real vested interest in the place.  If an opportunity arises, we should look into having housing inside the historic La Villita. Parking Lots are simply areas with no activities what so ever.  This is why they're referred to as "Parking Craters."

Now some of you will say, hey, didn't you say La Villita Should be a model for the redevelopment for Hemisfair?  And that I did, but it wasn't about how La Villita was being treated, it was how there's no cars there.  There's a reason why I'm so against cars and that's because cars have more rights than you or I do when we're walking or riding our bicycles.  I don't know how many times I've heard getting hit by a car and the driver just driving off and just getting a slap of the wrist.  And if you don't believe me, Freakanomics did an episode on how to get away with murder, and it was about how you can kill with your car and get away with it.

When we built towns, we use to build them like La Villita, small places where everyone could get to where they were going by walking.  We're now coming back to this original design as we rebuild Hemisfair and redevelop areas in the inner city. La Villita has a heads start in being walkable  because the streets are too narrow for motor vehicles. As the development continues in Hemisfair, we'll see a bleeding effect from people calling Hemisfair home.  Now we don't have to destroy anything in La Villita, but we should work on making housing opportunities available with in the historic neighborhood and around it especially in those parking craters.

Images:
47-1:  A Google Satellite Map image of La villita and the surrounding area. 

Hemisfair Goes Backwards

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On Wednesday, Hemisfair took down its famous Arch that stood at the intersection of E Nueva and S Alamo, and today, Friday, they took down the Clockless Clock tower.(Image 35-1)   These structures are in the way of motor vehicle traffic, and sorry to say that once it was a safe place to walk is now just like any other downtown street, little room for people, plenty of room for cars and SUV's. 

It's been all over the local news about the famous arch, the famous Hemisfair Arch that was the backdrop for countless summer time movie times on the wall of the Magik Theatre, the New Years Eve celebrations, and other events. And as usual, our local media is missing the real story, which is that this is the first step in plans to bring automobile traffic to a pedestrian only zone.

While other cities around the nation and world wide are working on restricting and even making some streets car free, San Antonio is going back to the 1950's when we dreamed of endless roads of driving your new car on.  Hemisfair said they're going to make it safer,  but let's be honest here, you have a very safe place already because people don't have to look over their shoulders to worry about a car running them over. Their quote from the Express News says it all

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"The re-establishing of the street grid — pedestrian-friendly roads that will allow slow traffic and bicycles — is one of several facets of the park’s rebirth." 

Um here's the thing, Hemisfair is already a "pedestrian-friendly" place right now. I wrote back in July 2014, that you have a great place and that all you need to do is activate it. When you reopen it, you and I will have to worry about people texting while driving on how beautiful Hemisfair made the place to drive a car. This is like saying that we're going to improve La Villita by bring back cars to the old neighborhood.  There was a time as a matter of fact, that I've used Hemisfair Park on my way to St Philips SWC from their main campus on the Eastside BECAUSE THERE WHERE NO CARS TO WORRY ABOUT. As they reopen the park, I expect to see what I see on Houston St today and every weekend, people on bicycles running into people walking on the sidewalk because to many people are driving their cars causing a traffic jam.

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If it was true that improving public space is to allow cars into that space, then why isn't La Villita jumping up to allow cars down Villita St between La Villita and the Riverwalk? (Image 35-4) Why is it when they redid Brackenridge Park, they removed the roads through the park and left only one that is connected to Mulberry?  Why is it that when we close off a street to vehicular traffic, we celebrate it as a major event called Siclovia?  It is because cars take up a lot of space, and they destroy places that they're allowed in.  Every time we make room for automobiles, people walking and people riding bicycles suffer because there's simply no defense against a 1,000+ pound steel cage and a inattentive driver, drunk or otherwise operating the vehicle. When Cars are slowed down or removed, people feel simply safer to lounge about and to exercise.  There was a time in America's History when we thought about banning cars from our cities or restricting their speed limits to under 20 miles per hour for back then, the streets where meant for people.  When car enthusiast saw this a threat to their driving, they launched an ad campaign to change the saying from "the streets are for people," to the current saying that we all know "the streets are for cars." 

Andrew Price recently said in a Strong Towns Blog Post quote:

"If we don't change our habits, our obsession with treating cars as the dominant life-form of our cities, catering to their every needs with congestion-free roadways and ample parking, will be the downfall of American cities. They are our bread and circuses. We know it's making us broke, and we still continue. It does not have to be this way - it is just a matter of priorities."

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The good news is that despite the city's assistance to bring back cars to a people friendly area, is that you can bring back the friendly area for the people by simply remove the access for the cars.  It is a sad day for San Antonio for in other cities in North America and around the world are working tirelessly to restrict cars.  There was a time right after World War II that we thought of progress with the building of freeways.  Today, Dallas and Austin are looking into tearing down those freeways to revitalize the urban core, i.e. space for people.  San Antonio seems to be stuck in the 1950. It is sad to live in a city where progress is measured not by how many protected bicycle lanes that are available, but how much space is available to drive your car.  No Wonder there's a saying "Keep San Antonio Lame."

I'm not against the improvements being made, I'm against bad Ideals and this one just happens to be a bad Ideal. 

Image:
35-1: A picture of the famous Clockless Clock Tower that was right next to the Downtown All Around Playground being torn down.  Viewing South. 
35-2: A picture of what is left from the removal of the famous Hemisfair Park Arch.  viewing east.
35-3: A Picture of the famous Hemisfair Park Arch back in July 2014. viewing east
35-4: A Picture of Villita St in La Villita on the day that the they brought down the Clockless Clock Tower. Viewing West
35:5: A picture of Hemisfair way as it is currently is on Feb 20, 2014.  this time next year, cars will be traveling down this pedestrian space. 

Note About Story:  I'm going to start doing a on the clock blog posting every First and third Tuesday of Every Month.  And On top of all that, when breaking stories like this happen, I'll be posting them when they happen. 

Hemisfair: Too Much of a Good Thing

Hemisfair: Too Much of a Good Thing

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Now for those of you who have seen the posting of a meeting about the Hemisfair of the Hemisfair Park Area Redevelopment Corporation.   (Image 16-1) Some aren't aware of the fact that they're planning to do a whole lot of changes some of which changes are good to see like the destruction of the old convention center, while other decision to allow cars into the park are disaster waiting to happen.  But do we really need to spend so much money on a great park already? 

When I give some thought to the reason why we plan so much at so much cost, not just with Hemisfair, but with the Trans-Texas Corridor, the streetcar, and much much more, the answer I come up with, "this is Texas; big things come from Texas and that includes thinking big."  But is it also construction firms that is influencing these big decisions?   With so much cost being considered, the question should be asked, will we even see it all of it and do we even need so much?  There is a saying "too much of a good thing hurts." 

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Here is the thing, Hemisfair is already a great place, we just need to activate it.  You see we have all the elements of a great place which are people, buildings that are close together, a playground, (Image 16-3) and parkland.  You see the only group of people to come along and to activate the place was the Occupy Movement who went into the boarded old houses to set up camp.  Right now, it's a collection of City government buildings and boarded up Victorian homes. (Image 16-2)  The only part of Hemisfair that is activated is the Tower of Americas. (Image 16-5) It's not just an observation post, but also a place to sit and enjoy the the fountains, but to buy some ice cream and maybe enjoy some live music.

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As the planning firm looks out far and wide to "over" improve the park, they don't have to look far but across the stroad of South Alamo to La Villita. (Image 16-4)  There, they will find a place that is activated and thriving with businesses in each of the old buildings.  Take that successful place, and do the same thing with the old Victorian houses in Hemisfair.  Before we do this, lets bring the houses up to code.  That should take a least, what a Million, maybe two for all the abandoned Victorian homes?  Lets use the same rule that La Villita uses when choosing shops and restaurants which are locally own and artisan type places.  And then from there, let the place grow and flourish, and allow failure to occur and learn from that failure.  This old building sits next to the Federal building, wouldn't it make a good bookstore? (Image 16-6)

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As the Federal Government moves out of Hemisfair, get those buildings to a developing firm and make sure they turn some of those floors of the big white building where I got my first Social Security card, as both offices and apartments and make sure the apartments are low rent for some of the units.  Don't stand in the way, only make sure that the  firm promises to deliver and if they don't, well fire them.  Let them decide what to do with the buildings and let the pieces fall where they may.  What we need here isn't an orderly, dumb direction from the top down, but chaotic and smart direction from the bottom up. 

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I'm not against these big ideals that have been put forth like tearing down the old convention center and turning that into a park or their crazy playground concept.  But allowing vehicular traffic back onto Hemisfair will be the biggest mistake they will make. I guess they haven't seen the problems of traffic congestion that is experience downtown on numerous occasions especially during the spring holidays when traffic gets backed up on Commerce, Houston and even Market St.  Ask yourselves, do we really want to see a traffic jam on Houston St in Hemisfair?  In essences, we'll be taking a great place and turning it into a parking lot.  Last I check, parking lots aren't places we go specifically to visit unless they clear out the cars and put up rides and little tents with food stands and vendors, you know like the Pearl Farmers market or the Quarry Farmers market.  Like the Farmers Market in Austin with this car parked in the middle of it, (Image 16-7) it clearly shows how cars simply take up too much space and seems to ruin the greatness of  the event.

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With cars allowed onto Hemisfair, we will be surrendering valuable space for pedestrians.  With that space gone, pedestrians will start to walk in front of cars, and thus an accident will occur where one shouldn't have occurred in the first place.  I guarantee that the solution will not be to remove the cars, but to remove the pedestrians by limiting their access on the the vehicle lanes, giving tickets out to pedestrians for jaywalking and putting up crosswalks with beggars buttons and having the pedestrians beg to cross the street. You call these buttons, "crosswalk buttons,"(Image 16-8) but lets face it, they really should be called beggar buttons because you the pedestrians are asking cars to stop so you can safely walk across public space.  

To me, these plans for a better Hemisfair seems to be very out of  proportion.  We don't need a nuclear bomb to destroy the whole place and then rebuild from scratch it to activate it, but make simple repairs and a willingness to to fail and learn from that failure.  With the citizens of San Antonio being allergic to high priced public projects unless it's a new freeway, chances are we'll not see the entire vision what is being presented by hemisfair.org.  When city of San Antonio is willing to take small steps instead of huge alternations, then and only then will San Antonio realize the greatness it processes.

Go Fund Me Campaign

It still up, and I could use the help to be able to take some pictures I need to illustrate the my story on the Streetcar issue.  It's going to be a three part story, and the first of these stories should be posted some time around August 6th.  If you want to help me out, please help pay for my Greyhound ticket at http://www.gofundme.com/b8rmq4

Via Picture Update.  

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Remember the picture of the Via Supervisor trucks parked on the sidewalk on Commerce St (Image 15-3) from my last posting?  Well since posting that picture on this blog and on my twitter feed, they have since stopped parking on the sidewalk.(Image 16-9)  So tweet to via and say, thanks for not parking on the sidewalk. 

Images:
16-1:  Hemisfair Flyer of the Meeting on July 29, 2014
16-2:  One of the Many Old Victorian Houses that are boarded up in Hemisfair Park, this one behind the Magic Theater. Looking Southwest. 
16-3:  The Downtown All Around Playground, Looking South
16-4:  A shop inside La Villita behind the Church there. Looking North
16-5:  A View looking south of people walking in front of the fountains that circle the Tower of the Americas. Looking South
16-6:  A building looking to be abandoned next to the Federal Building. Looking east.
16-7:  A car left parked on 4th St next to Republic Square.  The Farmers simply set up shop around the car.  Looking southeast. 
16-8:  The Crosswalk button which should be called a Beggars Button to cross S Alamo from Hemisfair to Nueva on the North side.  Looking South.  Thanks To @PedestrianError for the name of this device. 
 16-9:  A way a sidewalk should look, with out Via's Supervisor's Trucks park on it.  E Commerce St At St Mary's St, Looking South. 

 Up Coming Important Meetings
If you want to make a difference, please attend. 

Hemisfair Public Work Session:

When:   Tuesday, July 29, 2014  6PM-8PM

Where:  The Depot at Sunset Station, 1174 E Commerce, San Antonio, TX

What Should You Say:  The biggest thing is having cars come into the park.  This is the worse decision ever for if anybody know from experience, cars make a place unsafe and make people uncomfortable.  They don't let cars into La Villita, so why should cars be allowed here.  Also asking for La Villita types shops in the abandoned houses would be a plus too. 

 

Lee's Creek, Joe Ward and Sunset Hills Parks Plan Review Public Meeting

When:  Wednesday, August 20, 2014 6:00 PM

Where:  Joe Ward Community Center,  435 E. Sunshine, San Antonio, TX 78228

What Should You Ask For:  The thing to ask for at this meeting are good sidewalks,  20 mile per hour speed limits and safe ways to get to the park down Hillcrest and St Cloud such as bike lanes down those stroads.  

Up Coming Bicycle Events

 
 Cycle In-Cinema .  
When:   Every Thursday, June-August at Dusk, 8:45pm
Where:  Main Plaza, 115 N Main Ave, 78205
Description:  Out Door Movie.  

FrankenBike #51
When:   Saturday August 16, 2014  10AM to 4PM

Where:  Earn A Bike Coop ~ 2619 Guadalupe St ~ 78207

Description:  San Antonio's Bicycle Swap Meet and Flea Market