if you've been paying attention to the news posts lately, you know that oma-ny is doing a new 20+ story project on the louisville waterfront, not far from hargreaves park, an old mies office bldg, the humana tower, and the new ali center.
what hasn't hit the news is that downtown louisville's already hugely disruptive riverfront interstate is supposed to be expanded...apparently necessary to better get the suburbanites out of town before dark. while it's easy to assume that all of the decisions have been made already, that there's not much the general public can do but grimace, a grassroots group has sprouted that's going to try to do something about it...
I was part of a group that proposed reconnecting the downtown of my home town with the river it grew up on. You literaly had to drive a mile north or south, or to access by foot walk across a dangerous intersection and thru a scary tunnel. Out of town people got lost trying to access the riverfront park. I proposed it a town forum, the table of older people next to me, turned to my table and starting talking about it with us, saying "yes!" I said crazy stuff like "Let's tear down the interstate" and wasn't taken for a crazy, people listened. The intern architect next to me whipped out a pen and started to draw an aerial perspective connnecting downtown with the river front park with another park leading up to downtown on his napkin, and a wide boulevard under the interstate. The forum sponsor stopped me on the way out and congratulated me for breaking the barrier, that the room would have been so stiff without my suggestion. It is now being developed as part of a huge plan among other things, and the city won a competition by submitting the proposal and will get state and federal cooperation and money to proceed.
I watched the video on your website. Speghetti Junction? Ha ha. Good luck
"Aren't most cities these days trying to follow Portland's lead and move freeways away from the downtown inner core pedestrian areas?"
I think that's fairly true... At least I can't think of any city center freeway construction off the top of my head [beyond Steven Ward's example]. It does not neccessarily mean that this construction doesn't happen elsewhere. Been to Austin, recently? Their new interstate ring and toll roads are
ENORMOUS!
Nov 19, 05 3:01 am ·
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urban health vs. the highway
if you've been paying attention to the news posts lately, you know that oma-ny is doing a new 20+ story project on the louisville waterfront, not far from hargreaves park, an old mies office bldg, the humana tower, and the new ali center.
what hasn't hit the news is that downtown louisville's already hugely disruptive riverfront interstate is supposed to be expanded...apparently necessary to better get the suburbanites out of town before dark. while it's easy to assume that all of the decisions have been made already, that there's not much the general public can do but grimace, a grassroots group has sprouted that's going to try to do something about it...
they're called 86/64. wish 'em luck.
Aren't most cities these days trying to follow Portland's lead and move freeways away from the downtown inner core pedestrian areas?
Good luck 86/64.
I was part of a group that proposed reconnecting the downtown of my home town with the river it grew up on. You literaly had to drive a mile north or south, or to access by foot walk across a dangerous intersection and thru a scary tunnel. Out of town people got lost trying to access the riverfront park. I proposed it a town forum, the table of older people next to me, turned to my table and starting talking about it with us, saying "yes!" I said crazy stuff like "Let's tear down the interstate" and wasn't taken for a crazy, people listened. The intern architect next to me whipped out a pen and started to draw an aerial perspective connnecting downtown with the river front park with another park leading up to downtown on his napkin, and a wide boulevard under the interstate. The forum sponsor stopped me on the way out and congratulated me for breaking the barrier, that the room would have been so stiff without my suggestion. It is now being developed as part of a huge plan among other things, and the city won a competition by submitting the proposal and will get state and federal cooperation and money to proceed.
I watched the video on your website. Speghetti Junction? Ha ha. Good luck
I think that's fairly true... At least I can't think of any city center freeway construction off the top of my head [beyond Steven Ward's example]. It does not neccessarily mean that this construction doesn't happen elsewhere. Been to Austin, recently? Their new interstate ring and toll roads are
ENORMOUS!
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